Tenchi Muyo!  Day of Reckoning
by CV Tenchi
Summary: A new faction rises to power in the distant Orion colony, run by a powerful and enigmatic leader called Sypher.  The Masaki household starts to separate when various members are called away, and Washu finds it all a little too suspicious.
1. Separation

Disclaimer: "Tenchi Muyo!" and its characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer. However, the writing and original characters in this fan fic belong to me.

Author's Notes: The story is based shortly after the events of OVA2 - i.e. I'm pretending that the 3rd OVA and GXP never happened. This is largely because it introduces characters I don't really care about, and barely even remember. Also, I just want to mention that I dealt with the things brought up in cyberimp6's comment. I also edited it to include something to help separate scenes (originally, I actually tried a couple of things, like adding an extra line space, or a line with *** , but everytime I saved, they disappeared, and I just gave up).

...

**Tenchi Muyo! – Day of Reckoning**

Far away within uncharted space, there was a planet called Orion. It had remained mostly unnoticed, but not for much longer. An underground faction was gaining power, and it culminated in a full-blown uprising.

The room was dark, and the wall facing the outside had been torn away, revealing a night cityscape dotted with fires, destruction and commotion. A tall dark figure looked out upon his handy work, with his military attire and cloak that signified a position of authority.

Another individual entered through a doorway behind him, bearing news. "Sir, most of the districts are now under our control, and most of the resistance has been neutralised."

"And the space port?" the imposing individual asked, not taking his gaze away from the chaos outside.

"Well sir," the officer started, "they are in the process of securing it as we speak."

"Excellent," replied the superior, as he turned to face the door, "come, I shall join the effort personally; and the next phase of our plan will begin." He made his way to the exit and the officer saluted.

"As you wish... General Sypher." This was not an official rank, but as the leader of the uprising he wanted a suitable title.

...

At the space port, a number of security personnel continued to hold out and defend the area from those who were taking over. Behind a small make-shift barricade a few men crouched behind, peering out, and getting up long enough to take a couple of shots before ducking again.

One of them heard movement and turned to face the noise. An intimidating figure towered over him. Before he could fire, the man swung his hand, shattering the weapon, as if it were a flimsy toy. As the other two turned towards the noise, he downed one with a powerful kick, and disabled the other by snatching the weapon out of his hand and whacked him over the head with it.

Just meters away, there was another small barricade, and the guards there readied their weapons and fired. Sypher held out his hand, and the weapon blasts deflected around him. When the guards stopped, not sure what to do next, the General leaped towards them.

...

Eventually, Sypher made it inside, and headed towards the main control room. His cloak flowed behind him as he swiftly traversed the darkened corridors, lit with only red emergency lighting. Up ahead a guard saw him, and just as he was readying his weapon, Sypher leaped to the side, sprung off the wall, and floored him. Without missing a beat, he rolled forward and continued running.

A few minutes later, the General entered the control room. He dived behind a console as a guard opened fire. Sypher ducked and weaved through the lanes of computer terminals, and emerged with a leap and chopping the guard's neck, knocking him out. Usually there were more guards in the control room, but they must have been sent to join the fighting outside. He went to a panel and accessed the launch controls. There were three small ships out on the landing pads – one was not space-worthy, but the other two were fine. He then pressed the communication device on his wrist.

"Captain, the ships are ready. Commence boarding the troops," he announced.

He joined them on the outside, and they divided and boarded the two good ships. The spacecraft took off, leaving the war-torn city behind. As soon as they were clear of the atmosphere, they launched into hyperspace.

**Chapter One – Separation**

In the Masaki residence, everyone was up and about, and they were in the middle of clearing up after finishing lunch. Most of them left after doing their minimalist part, leaving Sasami to do the washing up. It wasn't so much laziness, this was just how things were, and it became part of the routine; though Tenchi offered to help as he sometimes did. In a way the little blue-haired girl enjoyed doing these things, and helping to keep things running smoothly.

Tenchi stood beside her, and he rinsed and dried the dishes as they were handed to him. Just then he stopped. "What's that?" he thought aloud, with an unfixed gaze.

"What is it, Tenchi?" Sasami asked.

"Oh it's nothing. Just continue without me, I'll be back in a minute." He headed outside, and she glanced in his direction, puzzled.

Tenchi reached the entrance overlooking the lake, and he found Ayeka already standing there beside Washu.

"What's going on, Ayeka?"

"I'm not sure," replied the Princess, "Washu told me that Juraian ships were coming, and I'm awaiting their arrival."

Tenchi looked to the sky, and after a moment he spotted something. It was just a small dot, but as it got closer he could make out a familiar wooden silhouette. Just then a spot of light appeared under the ship, which descended towards them. It landed and stopped a few metres in front of them.

The glowing ball dispersed to reveal two Juraian guards, both standing firm. One of them spoke up, "We apologise for the intrusion."

"What is this about," asked the Princess, "and why was I not notified of this?"

"The Emperor has requested that you return to Jurai," he replied, and the other guard took a half-step forward.

"We were ordered to maintain radio silence, because he did not want to risk any transmissions being intercepted."

"Ooh, sounds important," the little scientist chimed in. "It's not like him to be so secretive." The second guard shared a glance, as if agreeing, and looked back to Ayeka.

"Fair enough," she conceded, averting her gaze, "I will accompany you back to Jurai, but first I need to pack some of my belongings."

"As you wish, Princess Ayeka; we shall leave within the hour." Moments later, the guards were again engulfed in a glowing light, and rose back up to the ship.

The three of them returned to the house; Ayeka went upstairs to pack, Washu returned to her lab, and Tenchi resumed helping Sasami.

While putting the dishes away, Sasami turned to Tenchi. "So, what was that about?"

"Well, I heard something outside, and I went to check it out," he said.

"What was it?" She pressed, and Tenchi started to feel a little awkward.

"It seems that a Jurai ship has shown up." He hesitated for a moment. "They say that Ayeka needs to go to Jurai, for something important." Suddenly the plate Sasami was holding slipped out of her hand, and clattered loudly on the floor.

"What? Why didn't she tell me about this?" the little girl asked, looking slightly agitated.

"Don't be mad at her," he tried, with an apologetic tone, "she only found out just now. They didn't say anything until they arrived." This seemed to calm her slightly. Just then, she gasped, looking down at the plate on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, picking up the plate. She looked at it, and was relieved that it didn't break, and put it away in the cupboard. After closing the door, she headed off upstairs.

...

In the subspace lab, Washu sat on her floating cushion working away at her holographic computer. A few metres in front of her, there was a wall of glass, and behind it was a large open space. Inside was a Juraian ship, but with a few small differences on the outside.

"I think Ayeka will be pleased when she sees this," Washu said with a smile.

Up in her room, Ayeka was putting some things into a box; just little things around her room. She didn't feel the need to pack clothes, knowing it would be provided back home. There was a knock, and the door slid open, and Sasami entered.

"Tenchi said you're going back to Jurai," she said, and Ayeka paused. She was so wrapped up with the sudden arrangements that she failed to consider what her little sister would think.

"Yes, I was told to head back home... but they did not tell me why. I decided to go, so I can at least find out what this is all about," Ayeka tried to explain.

"Do you know how long you'll be away?" asked her sister.

"I really don't know," she replied, "but I'm sure that whatever it is, it will not take long." After a moment, Sasami's expression changed.

"If you're going to Jurai, then I will come too," the little sister declared.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh!" she nodded, "If you leave, then my place is by your side. Besides, I would really like to see Jurai again." Hearing those words made Ayeka smile.

"Now that you mention it, I do miss the home world sometimes. So I guess it isn't too bad."

...

Soon after, the two Princesses made their way outside, behind them Tenchi was carrying Ayeka's box of belongings, now made heavier after Sasami added a few of her things. Washu then joined them, looking like she had something to say.

"What is it, Washu?" Tenchi asked. The little scientist smiled and pulled a small controller from her loose sleeve.

"Oh just a little something Ayeka might appreciate," she said, and pressed a few controls. A breeze started to pick up, and Tenchi and the two girls to glanced around in confusion. Electricity started to arc across the sky, and a large black void opened up. As everyone watched, something started to emerge. It was a Juraian ship; but Ayeka quickly realised it was not just any ship.

"Ryu-oh?" she said, in slight disbelief.

"That's right Ayeka; it's your ship, and it's good as new... but with a few improvements. Juraian technology is so dated."

"But how," Ayeka asked, "Is the sapling mature enough to support the ship?"

"Don't worry about it. I developed a supplement to accelerate its growth. I think I added a couple of years of growth, and it looks just as healthy as any Juraian ship tree I've seen, if not more so."

Sasami turned to Tenchi, whose face was mostly obscured by the large cardboard box. "Hey Tenchi, why don't you come with us!" she said.

"I don't know, it sounds like a Juraian affair. It would probably be better if just you two go." Seeing a look of disappointment on her face, he added, "I suppose, if you ever plan another trip to Jurai, I could go with you then." Hearing this brought a smile back to her face.

"So you two ready to go?" Washu asked, readying her hand over her controller again.

"Yes we are," Ayeka replied, and turned to Tenchi. "I guess this is goodbye. I, I'll be thinking of you."

It suddenly struck Sasami as well, and a sad expression lined her little face. "Bye Tenchi, I'll miss you." Tenchi smiled at both of them, and placed the box down by his side. He leaned down and hugged the little girl, who squeezed him tightly. After letting go, he reached and pulled Ayeka into his arms with a gentle embrace. She smiled and felt herself blush a little.

"Okay, now that you've said your goodbyes," Washu interrupted, "I think it's time to send you to your ship." Tenchi took a few steps back, and Washu starting working at her controller. The two Juraian girls were engulfed in a flash of light, and when the light faded they were gone; beamed up to the ship. A moment later, the box that sat on the ground glowed and disappeared as well.

Washu headed back inside, but Tenchi lingered for a moment as he watched the two Juraian ships head off.

...

A few hours later, Tenchi went out to work the field. There were still some carrots to be picked, but winter wasn't too far away, meaning a little respite from the work. As usual Ryo-ohki was there to help out; the little cabbit didn't do much other than randomly eating some of the carrots he picked, but he thought it was nice having her there nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Ryoko and Mihoshi were playing video games. It was one of those days where nothing could distract them. It recently got more noticeable when they started playing addictive online games. More specifically, a game called Land of Washucraft; any need to guess who the creator was?

They sat at a couple of computers side-by-side, and they were working as a team.

"Okay," Ryoko started, "these are high-level monsters, if we aren't careful, we'll pull too many, and we will have our asses handed to us. I want you to use your immobilise spell on that dark priest, and make sure not to attract those enemies over to the side. If we are *very* careful, we might make it through, and we can get out of Dark Valley Passage."

She looked over to Mihoshi, who seemed to be in a daydream. Feeling Ryoko's glare she responded with a start, "Gotcha use something on the priest, and attack enemies to the side, so we can get lots of points!" Before she could be stopped, she had started her attack. Ryoko frantically tried to fight off all those enemies, but there were just too many, and she knew it was a losing battle. I swear it's actually easier when I'm playing by myself, she thought.

The cyan-haired girl lowered her head, and sighed in exasperation, wondering what possessed her to play with this stereotypical blond person. In the background Mihoshi's communicator starting letting out a noise, beckoning for attention. Ryoko sat in silence as Mihoshi answered the call.

"Hello, this is first class Detective Mihoshi, what can I do for you?" Wow, where was that lucidity a few moments ago? There was a voice speaking through the device, but Ryoko couldn't make out what he was saying. "You want me to go to Galaxy Police Headquarters for a personal debriefing?" Oh good, she'll be gone and I can play my game in peace. "Can't I just submit a report, or talk on my ships intercom?" No, stop looking for excuses not to go!

The distorted voice continued, and it seemed to be saying something important. Mihoshi's shoulders dropped in resignation, "Alright, I will head back to headquarters, but it better be quick." A few more words could be heard from the other end, and the transmission ended.

She stood in silence for a moment then said, "Emm Ryoko, it looks like I have to go out, and I might not be back for a while." The former space pirate turned to her, with a look of feigned surprise.

"Aww, that's too bad I guess."

"Oh, they told me something Washu might want to hear," Mihoshi said as she made for the lab door, making sure to knock, otherwise it just opened into the closet.

...

Washu was lying on a padded bench along the side of the room; probably just having a nap before starting work on something else. As soon as Mihoshi closed the door, an alarm sounded which brought the little scientist to attention. The alarm which vaguely sounded like the words "ditzy klutz" repeated over and over again. Perhaps set up so that a certain blonde-haired GP officer would not enter without her noticing.

"Oh good you're awake," she said.

"Well I am now. What do you want?" the little scientist groaned with irritation. Maybe because she was just woken up, or because of who woke her – maybe both.

"I was told to return to Headquarters; apparently there are a lot of changes going on. He said something about new technology, and they want to bore us with how it works or something. I thought you might like to come, since you like that sort of thing."

Washu seemed to be contemplating something, and her expression became that of concern. "I'm not sure I like this. Ayeka was called back to Jurai, and on the very same day you are told to go to GP HQ... this cannot be a coincidence. I'm going with you." She realised that it would be a good idea to investigate, just in case these things were linked.

The blond girl's face brightened. "I'm glad; I was worried about taking the long trip all by myself." Reality sunk in for Washu, that getting there would mean a long journey on a ship, with no one but... her as company. However, this was too important to worry about such things.

The two of them headed out of the lab.

"Hey Ryoko," Washu called out, "Mihoshi and I are heading out to take care of some business. Hope you behave yourself while I'm gone."

...

Tenchi was on his way back to the house when he noticed Mihoshi's ship take off. He took the basket of carrots to the shed outside, and Ryo-ohki was in her miniature humanoid form carrying a small basket on her back. After entering the house, he looked around until he saw Ryoko at her computer.

"Hey, I just saw Mihoshi's ship leave."

"Oh yeah," Ryoko replied without turning her head, "following orders or something like that." Just as Tenchi was about to leave, she turned her head slightly in his direction. "Oh and Washu went with her, though I can't imagine why she'd subject herself to that." Then her attention was back on the computer.

Now four people had left. With Ryoko busy on the computer, his father still at work, and Yosho in his shrine up in the hills, the house suddenly felt kind of empty. It occurred to him that if people were doing things, maybe he should go and do something himself.

Tenchi went into Washu's lab, and he headed to a computer console. Upon activating it, a large holographic screen appeared. He entered a few controls bringing up a world map. He altered between various modes, each one displaying something different (like various details about the weather, and predicted weather patterns).

"So where should I travel to?" he mused. The screen changed, and there was suddenly a small yellow blip. He brought up the readings, and it seemed to identify as a GP signature. It was located at the east coast of the US, and when he set it to zoom in, it pointed to LA. Mihoshi had left the planet, and he didn't know of any other Galaxy Police officers here. There was nothing else to do, so it was worth checking out.

For a little while, Tenchi had felt an interest in visiting a place like the US, or Europe. There was never anything solid, but he had saved up some money and learned a little about western culture. He even learned to speak English – largely thanks to Washu, with her subliminal learning device, allowing him to learn much of it while he slept.

The thought of taking Ryo-ohki crossed his mind, and there were clear benefits like getting there quicker, and saving money. However, the more he thought about it, the more he became aware of the negatives. For example, it wasn't wise using her to travel to a large city, and countless people spotting a strange craft in the sky. Or after arriving, trying to conceal or explain this animal that no one there had seen before.

It was night time, and the others had just gone to bed. He went to his room and got changed into something more appropriate – a dark blue t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. He opened a small drawer in his desk, and he pulled out a passport, and some of the money he had stashed away. After a quick gander into the attic, he found a small suitcase, and he put a change of clothes and a few other things into it.

After a while, the dark green suitcase and his light jacket were sitting near the entrance, ready for him to pick up when he was ready to leave. In the kitchen, there were a few leftovers nicely wrapped up in the fridge. That will do nicely for the trip, he thought. On his way out, he left a brief note letting them know what he was doing. He decided to leave without Ryoko noticing, as she would likely make a scene, or pressure him into letting her accompany him – and it wouldn't be the normal trip he wanted it to be.

...

Meanwhile, something significant was happening at a Galaxy Police shipyard. Inside the skeletal enclosure was a new prototype battleship called the Equinox. It had been under construction for almost a year, and employed some top of the line technology – some of which was based on Washu's work from the Souja. After all this time, and the resources and manpower, it was finally complete. The crew were busy making last-minute adjustments and running diagnostics, making sure it was ready for the launch.

The command deck was alive with the main bridge crew settling into their positions, and various other crew members moving around and checking systems. The rear doors opened and the Captain entered. It was Captain Braxton, he was in his early forties, and his short dark hair had a few streaks of grey.

A nearby officer saw him and stood straight, announcing, "Captain on deck!" Just like that, the movement and buzzing of voices had stopped, and everyone stood firm in the presence of their commanding officer. It filled him with a sense of pride, and it made him smile. This was his first command, and to be given a ship like this was certainly a big thing for him.

"At ease," he said, on his way to the command chair. Sitting down, he gazed at the large viewscreen which displayed the scaffolding arms, and the open starfield that lay beyond.

As he was about to issue his command to disembark, he was going to clear the deck of non-essential personnel. However, this was the ship's big launch, and decided to let them stay, so they could witness it as well.

"Disengage docking arms, disconnect power lines and bring the main reactor online," he ordered, feeling good about it. The crew were right on it, each doing their part. The lights flickered slightly as the systems switched to internal power, and the grappling arms were parting.

"Helm, take us clear of the shipyard, nice and slow." The crewman responded, and she ship engaged its thrusters, slowly crawling clear of the spider-like structure's grasp.

"Sir, I'm picking up something on our scanners," said his tactical officer. "Two small ships; the design is not familiar."

"Hail them. Let's see what they want," Braxton ordered.

The communications officer turned to the captain and shook his head. "No response, Sir." The ships were small and would not be any match for this state of the art ship, even if the worst did happen. However, it didn't stop the captain from feeling uneasy.

Then, as if to prove him right, the tactical officer responded to an alert on his console. "I'm picking up an energy spike!"

Surrounding one of the approaching ships was a sphere of energy, and it slowly brightened and crackled.

Braxton shot up out of his chair and said, "What the hell is that?" He gazed at the glowing on the screen, with a terribly ominous feeling.

"I... don't know sir."

"The glowing energy field suddenly exploded outward, passing through the battleship and the surrounding shipyard. At that moment, everyone on the command deck suddenly collapsed. Moments after the debilitating discharge, the hostile ships closed in and entered through the main launching bay.

It was a swift precision strike, and the invading force had commandeered the battleship. The original crew were then locked in the detention area to avoid hassle when they awoke.

On the command deck, General Sypher marched in with his cloak flowing behind him. He continued his march to the middle of the large room and glanced around as his smug smile widened. Then again, he had all the reason in the world to be smug, considering he just commandeered one of the most powerful ships known to exist.

The crew responded to his presence. "General, all systems are functional, and the crew are awaiting your commands," one of the soldiers announced.

Another one spoke up, "may I ask, why did we put the old crew in the detention area? I mean shouldn't we have just offloaded them to the shipyard?"

Sypher turned to him and said, "Doing that would have taken too long. It is more efficient to just lock them away, and then we can decide what to do with them."

"Why not just kill them?" This caused the General to glower at him.

"I am not above getting blood on my hands, but I thought I made it clear; we will not be committing cold-blooded mass murder, not if it can be helped." He took a deep breath to calm himself, and sat down on the command chair. Now that the ship was theirs, and the crew was ready, it was time to go.

"Helm," Sypher called out "set a course for Thera."

"Aye sir," he replied.

"When we get there, the next stage of our plan shall begin." The large ship accelerated away, and leapt to hyperspace.

...

**Author's Notes:** That's the first chapter done. Things were a bit slow as I spent a lot of time getting everything started, but it will pick up as they reach their respective destinations and things start to be uncovered.


	2. Suspicion

**Tenchi Muyo! – Day of Reckoning**

At Los Angeles International airport, Tenchi's plane had landed. He departed on a late flight, the plane ride took roughly ten hours, and this time zone was about eight hours ahead. So he arrived during the evening. Sure it cost more and took longer, but he wanted to use this trip as an opportunity to have a normal trip – something he never really got to experience since the girls showed up.

After arriving at the airport, he took a cab to a nearby hotel and booked a room. In a way it felt strange. One minute there was the loudness of the busy airport and streets, and suddenly he was alone in his own quiet room, with just a mild hum of traffic through the closed windows. It was a simple and modest-sized room which had all the basics, and this suited him just fine.

Tenchi walked to the side of his bed, dragging his suitcase along the floor by the extended handle. He removed his light jacket and hung it up in the hanger at the side, and thought to check his wrist device – a watch modified by Washu to do other things.

With a few button presses, a screen came up with some readings. According to this, the GP signal he picked up before was now just miles away. There was no rush; he could just arrange to pass through there on his tour.

There was still some time left before the day was over, but he decided to use this time to relax after the long plane ride. He couldn't help but smile at the irony, that the travelling, where he spent a majority of it sitting down, would leave him feeling so drained. Then acting on impulse, Tenchi lied back on the large bed, with his arms and legs sprawled out.

For now he would relax, maybe spend some time seeing what channels and TV shows they had here. Just being able to sit in a quiet room, left to his thoughts, was a welcome change. In recent weeks, there was less yelling between Ayeka and Ryoko, since acquiring that new online role-playing game. Though, much of it was replaced with Ryoko yelling at the game, or at Mihoshi for messing up.

Tomorrow, his journey around the city would begin.

...

The Juraian ships, including Ryu-oh, emerged from their hyperspace jump above their home planet. The two princesses and their escort headed down to the surface, to the royal palace. Emperor Azusa sat on his throne, with his wives Funaho and Misaki at his sides.

A Juraian messenger jogged up and stopped a few meters away. With a heavy breath, he said, "Your Majesty, Princesses Ayeka and Sasami have arrived and request an audience with you."

The Emperor rose to his feet. "My daughters are here?" he said, sounding surprised. "Bring them in!" The large doors opened and the two girls entered.

As they approached, Funaho – with her dark hair and gentle eyes gave them a warm smile. "Ayeka, Sasami, it is good to see you again." The two princesses smiled and bowed.

In contrast, Misaki – with light blue hair similar to Sasami's – had her hands clasped in front of her chest, and looked like she was going to burst. "Aww, my daughters came to visit!" She leapt from her seat and threw her arms around the girls, squeezing them tightly.

Azusa loudly cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Why are you two here on Jurai?" he asked. "Last time we talked, you were fighting to remain on that little backwater world, with that boy."

"But father," Ayeka said, "I came here because you asked me to. I was told you had something to discuss with me."

"If I did, I would have transmitted a message." The Emperor was clearly at a loss.

"Well... the royal guards that brought us here said there was a communications blackout."

Now it was Misaki's turn to feel confused. "As leader of the Royal Guard, I would know if such an order was given."

"Then it begs the question," Funaho cut in, getting to her feet, "who gave the order? Who arranged this and why?"

**Chapter 2 – Suspicion**

Mihoshi's ship, the Yagami, had exited back into normal space and was speeding towards the massive convoluted Galaxy Police structure ahead. Yukinojo, the ship's AI module came down from the ceiling. "Mihoshi, we are approaching Galaxy Police Headquarters, and will arrive in five minutes."

The announcement startled the blond girl out of her nap. "I'm awake," she yelped, her hands scrambling over the controls.

Washu emerged from a rear compartment and looked towards the main screen. "Oh good we're here," she said with enthusiasm.

"Yukinojo, put me through to Headquarters," Mihoshi said, "ask them for clearance to land."

"Actually," Washu added, "it might be better if you don't announce my presence. Normally I like attention, but in this case I don't want everyone being on edge because the 'crazy scientist' decided to drop by. Seriously, you do a few innocent anti-matter experiments and accidentally blow up an uninhabited planet... and suddenly everyone looks at you like you're the bad guy." The red-haired scientist let out a bemused sigh.

"Request sent," the computer announced, and after a few moments of silence, "we have clearance to dock, and I am entering an approach vector now."

...

Mihoshi and Washu strolled through one of the many long corridors in this large structure. It took more walking than they would have wanted, but they finally got to their destination. The door read, 'Officer Cheng' – this was the person she was told to meet.

Before they approached the door, Washu leaned closer to Mihoshi, and with a slightly hushed voice said, "Okay, you have your debriefing, while I take a look around. If something weird is going on, I will be sure to find it."

Then Mihoshi gave her a curt nod and headed for the door as Washu wandered off on her own – causing a few heads to turn, as if thinking, 'is that who I think she is, followed by a look of, 'nah probably not'.

Getting to the door, she pressed the button to the side, letting out a chime. After a brief silence a voice called out, "enter." The door opened, revealing a small compact office. The desk had a noticeable pile of paperwork, and the officer peered over it – just his head and his blue galaxy police hat visible. He appeared to be somewhere in his late twenties, and had the typical short dark hair. She stepped through the door, which closed behind her, not leaving a lot of room between her and the desk.

"Oh hello, you must be Detective Mihoshi," Cheng said with a smile, fumbling to his feet to give a slight bow from the hip.

"Reporting as ordered!" she responded, standing straight and giving a quick salute.

"Well, you have been summoned here because there have been some changes. The Galaxy Police will be introducing new technologies, and you will be briefed on these things." Cheng glanced around the small office and picked up a small leaflet, handing it to Mihoshi."

"What's this?" she asked, turning it and looking at it from different angles.

"That booklet gives you some of the things you will need to familiar yourself with. Also, you are to attend a new tech seminar tomorrow; be sure to read through it before then."

"Wait a second," she objected, "are you telling me I was brought here to do homework?" Her shoulders slackened and she gave a sigh.

...

Around midday at the Masaki residence, Ryoko came down the stairs. She could smell food, but when she got down there was only the father Noboyuki, and Yosho sitting there. There was no sign of Tenchi.

"Oh Ryoko, you're up," Yosho said. "Here, there's a note for you to read." She snapped it from his hand and started reading.

"Wait," she said, lowering the small piece of paper by her side, "Tenchi left as well... and he didn't even say goodbye?" She looked at them, putting on her big sad eyes.

"I'm sure he won't be away for long," the father said. "Besides, weren't you talking about all the levels, and the quests and whatnot you wanted to do on your game?"

"Oh yeah," Ryoko piped up, as she switched to the new train of thought, "I was planning to complete the quests in the Illusionary Forest, which should get my level up. At that point, I can make my way up Darkridge Mountain, and face Firelord Hamill." She continued to talk like this as she wandered out of the room.

"Good job taking her mind off of Tenchi," Yosho remarked, as they continued to eat. "But you did make her leave before she had a chance to eat anything."

Noboyuki froze for a moment, and then said, "I guess I'll make something and bring it to her shortly. I would rather not take her away from the game now."

...

The planet Thera was a small green world which had numerous science and manufacturing facilities. Various items were created and transported up to a small depot in orbit, where they would be traded and loaded onto ships. The crew onboard were preparing cargo for a ship due to arrive soon. For this shipment, there was various scanning equipment, and a stasis chamber. One might wonder what these things would be used for, but these people didn't mind as long as they were paid.

Nearby, there was a spatial distortion as a large ship exited hyperspace. It was the Equinox. Sypher stood from the command chair and said, "Open a channel with the station."

With a chime from the communications station, and the officer announced, "Channel open sir."

"This is Sypher of the Equinox, we have arrived as scheduled."

"Oh, of course," sounded a voice on the other end, the voice of a man, perhaps in his late forties. "It's good to see you here on time. Many cargo ships have a tendency of arriving hours or even days late."

"Now my question is have you got the equipment I requested?" Sypher added.

"Yes certainly," the older voice said enthusiastically, "with the generous payment you sent us, I put extra men on the job to make sure it went smoothly.

"Excellent, everything is going to plan."

"You are free to dock at the upper docking platform." The channel was then closed.

One of the crew members turned to Sypher, "What's with the generous payment, and the co-operation?"

"What do you mean?" Sypher asked, as he sat back down on his chair.

"Well..." the crewman continued, "wouldn't it be easier just to invade and take over the base, and take the resources for ourselves?"

"That's a stupid idea!" Sypher shot back. "It would take too much time and effort to do that; and if we take the place by force, there would be many casualties... including the scientists we need working for us."

"Erm, I suppose," the crewman replied sheepishly.

"I know there was a lot of violence on Orion, but that was a necessary evil. And even then, it was carefully planned to minimise unnecessary casualties. We are trying to build something, and we cannot do that if we handle everything with violence. Just look what happened here." Sypher gestured towards the screen. "By showing generosity in the right places, you gain support and become stronger from it."

After the cargo was safely onboard, the ship took off. It was brought up that they could have off-loaded the original crew. However, it would have meant delays, and the people on the station would have asked too many questions.

...

The following morning in LA, Tenchi was up, and he was getting dressed and ready for his tour around the city. On the dresser table, there was a card with details about the breakfast buffet. Looking at the card, he noticed much of it was different to what he was used to, which he felt was part of the enjoyment of coming here – experiencing different things.

After his breakfast, he headed out and started his trip proper. He took a taxi ride, and visited Hollywood for his first stop. Tenchi got to do some sight-seeing, and went along for a studio tour. It was an enjoyable experience, but he did find himself feeling slightly self-conscious – he was a Japanese guy wondering around with a camera hanging around his neck, and periodically taking pictures. He couldn't help feeling like a walking stereotype.

As the day moved on, he was taxied to another part of the city. It was a commercial area with streets of large shops and apartment stores. It would take a few hours to explore this part, at which point he would head back to the hotel and call it a day.

After getting off the cab, Tenchi looked at his watch. He suddenly noticed that the GP signal had moved. It was actually pretty close now.

He browsed through the large multi-storey stores; it was bigger and busier than what he was used to. It would have been intimidating, but after beaming up to a spaceship and fighting powerful adversaries with supernatural abilities, he found that it bare fazed him.

After leaving, passing the spacious entrance back to the street, his wrist device called for his attention. It was set to alert him if the signal got within one hundred metres. Looking at the indicator, he was too distracted to freely browse and started to head straight for it. Who was this person? If a Galaxy Police officer was infiltrating the people here, what was their purpose, and wouldn't Mihoshi have said something?

Tenchi became increasingly absorbed with the reading as the signal slowly got closer. He threw glances around to see if someone stuck out. Up ahead, a young man caught his eye. This person was bronze-skinned, and was wearing loose-fitting clothes, and an odd combination of colours. It seemed to smack of someone who was out of place (though he wasn't one to speak). His attention was fixed on the odd-looking young man, and had completely dismissed the tracker reading.

Suddenly, out of nowhere was a hard thump, and he struggled to maintain his balance. In his tunnel vision, he had walked straight into something. Looking in front of him, there was a girl on her knees and slightly dazed. She was a teenage girl around his age, with long strawberry-blonde hair, and a feathered fringe.

"Oh I'm sorry," Tenchi said in an urgent apologetic tone, and offered her a hand. "I was distracted and didn't see you." She took his hand and slowly got to her feet. The girl was an inch or so shorter than him, with pale skin, and was wearing a light blue dress down to her knees.

"It's okay," she said in a slightly quiet voice, and averted her gaze away slightly. Tenchi threw a glance over her shoulder, trying to spot the guy he was following, but he was nowhere to be seen. His gaze went down to his watch-device, and the reading startled him. It was marked as barely a metre away. His glance slowly rose to the girl standing in front of him. Is this thing right, he thought to himself.

"What is it? She asked, noticed his awkward expression.

"Oh, it's nothing," Tenchi replied, quickly composing himself, and feeling for the controls on his watch, changing it back to the regular time display mode. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Tenchi Masaki, what's yours?"

"I'm Samantha," the red-haired girl replied, "but people usually call me Sam." She took a look at him and said, "I take it you're just visiting?"

He glanced downward self consciously, "Is it really that obvious?" Sam seemed to find his shy awkwardness endearing, and started to smile.

He was just about to excuse himself, but then something occurred to him. If she was the source of the signal, it would be better to stick around, and discretely learn who she was, and why she was here.

"Hey, do you have any plans?" Tenchi asked. "I'm not really doing anything important, maybe we could hang out for a while... perhaps I can make up for walking into you."

"You want to hang out with me?" The girl asked, as if not used to hearing it. "Sure, okay." The two of them headed off into the busy streets and started talking about various things.

...

Meanwhile on Jurai, Ayeka stood with Funaho on a balcony overlooking the vast green forest, which spread back to the horizon. In amongst them, organic tower structures protruded from the foliage, and small wooden ships passing over.

"I don't know what to say," Funaho said, looking out at the scenery, "I have some of my intelligence officers looking into it. They should be able to find something."

"At first, I was against coming back." Ayeka turned to her step mother, "But now that I'm here, I am glad I did." She smiled at her surroundings.

"Quite a lot has changed since you were last here. After all, it has been over seven hundred years. Go find your sister, and I can show you around; get you reacquainted."

"But don't you have duties to attend to?" the princess asked.

"Oh, they will do fine without me," she said with a warm smile, "besides, I'm an empress. I can afford some time with my children if I wish it." They both headed back inside, and back to the living area they were given during their stay.

After picking up Sasami, they were taken around a number of areas; one of them included a monument. It was in the middle of a clearing, and it consisted of large pieces of scorched wood – the remains from Juraian ships. There was a plaque with some writing on it. It was placed here in memory of the ships and the lives lost seven hundred years ago, when Ryoko had attacked the planet. Seeing these things stirred up a lot of emotions in Ayeka; about the day of the attack, and watching Yosho leave. A part of her wanted to aim her hatred at Ryoko, but she knew that wasn't really fair, given that she was under Kagato's control.

A while later, Ayeka and Sasami were making their way back to their living quarters.

"Ayeka," her blue-haired sister said, "I am glad I came with you. It was really nice seeing other Juraians and the sentient trees again." Her little smile widened, and almost seemed to slip into a daydream as the two of them continued to walk. "Sitting by the trees and listening to them talk to me in their own way. I forgot how pleasant it was." As she talked, she noticed Ayeka was a little distracted. "What is it?"

"Oh it's nothing," she replied. After a few more paces, she suddenly slowed and stopped. Sasami stopped and turned to her. "Actually, I was just thinking of home. As much as I like it here, we were taken here so suddenly."

"What are you saying?" Sasami asked.

"I think we should go back to Earth." Seeing her sister's expression drop, she added, "We can always come back. Next time we can stay longer, and maybe even bring Tenchi and the others along with us."

Sasami's smile returned. "Oh yeah, before we left, Tenchi agreed to come next time. I would love to show him around." As the two girls walked on, they were unaware of an individual watching them from afar. He was throwing glances from behind a pillar, and activated a device on his wrist.

"Jared, we have a problem."

"What happened?" sounded the voice on the other end.

"The princesses are already talking about leaving," he responded.

There was a brief pause before the voice said, "Then we will have to go ahead with our contingency plan."

"Understood sir," he replied, and closed the channel.

...

While Mihoshi sat in one of the training halls, being shown a presentation and struggling to stay awake, Washu was busy with her investigation. She had sneaked into a small unused computer lab, and seated herself at one of the terminals; choosing a computer deep inside the room, and keeping the light off, as not to attract attention.

In the process of hacking, she attached a small device to the computer – with her signature red crab design. Computer technology and security procedures had advanced since she was last here, but they weren't the only ones that improved. The bright-haired scientist was flicking through screen after screen of logs entries and the occasional high priority messages, looking for something out of the ordinary. Going by many of the orders and messages in recent months, there was the undeniable feeling that things were changing. For what ends, it was not clear.

"Hello, what's this?" she let out when she came across files on a new ship. A powerful ship called the Equinox, which was recently completed. Some of the basic schematics showed a few crude adaptations of her work. Typical, she sighed. Further on, there was a report of a raid, where mysterious ships appeared and stole it. Well isn't that convenient, she thought to herself.

Looking further, documents were surfacing with details of internal reorganising. One file she spotted involved an assignment to Jurai. "There, I knew it," Washu said in a voice which was a little louder than she intended, and made a quick self-conscious glance at the door.

She then noticed an encrypted file with 'Earth' in the title. Seeing this made her unsettled, and was anxious to decrypt and access the file. All of a sudden, warning and error messages were popping up on the screen. "Oh this isn't good." Just moments later, there was a power surge and her hacking device overloaded. She looked at the smouldering crab-shaped device attached to the computer module and sighed. Things just got more complicated.

...

Ayeka had made the arrangement for them to return, and she was heading back to her and Sasami's room.

"Sasami, are you ready to leave?" she asked as she entered the room. Her blue-haired little sister was nowhere to be seen. Her attention was then drawn to a small holographic device on her bed. Ayeka activated the small gadget, and light shone out of the top, materialising into the image of a person. It appeared to be someone in his late twenties; with a tall and slightly muscular build, tanned skin, and shaved head.

When the image stabilised, the pre-recorded message started. "Princess Ayeka, you are probably aware that your sister is not there." She did not like where this was going. "She is in my custody and is currently unharmed. However, whether or not she remains that way is entirely up to you." The purple-haired princess felt like she was sinking. "It is quite simple; we will be sending you on some... errands. If you co-operate and do what we say, Sasami will be unharmed and eventually returned to you. Please don't make us demonstrate what happens if you don't co-operate." Before she had the chance to think it, the voice added, "And Princess, we are watching you, so don't do anything foolish like asking for help." On that note, the hologram faded.

The world around her started to become hazy, and the small device slipped out of her hand onto the bed.

...

Things had heated up for the Equinox and its crew. The Galaxy Police had been monitoring their movements and biding their time as they assembled a strike force. Now they had found an opening to attack.

The command deck thudded from the energy weapon hits.

"General," the tactical officer called out, "three more ships are approaching from our port side." He was interrupted with a larger tremor. "That makes nearly a dozen ships. We cannot hold off a force like this for long."

"Ready the disruptor pulse," Sypher ordered. After a moment to work at his console, the officer nodded at him. "Fire!"

An energy field formed around the battleship, fizzling and arcing as it gained strength, and then it exploded outwards. It caught all of the ships that were close by; and just like at the ship yard, they all drifted dead in space.

"Six ships disabled," the tactical officer announced.

"Damn, that means six remaining... and by wasting time with these, who knows how many more will show up," Sypher thought aloud. "Ready the pulse again, we need to disable more of them."

"Sorry sir," replied one of the officers at the back. "Our pulse generator takes a while to recharge. Also, with the crude connection to the ship's power grid, it will take longer than normal."

The general was starting to feel increasingly unsettled. "Increase speed, take evasive manoeuvres and focus on disabling their weapons."

Despite shaking off several ships, things were still hairy, and more ships were just minutes away.

"General, we cannot keep this up," the tactical officer chimed in again. A large tremor followed, and one of the side consoles overloaded with a shower of sparks and debris – as if to prove his point. "We need to be more aggressive if we want to get out of this!"

Sypher suddenly felt backed into a corner, and that sense of unease lined his face. There was a way out, but he did not like the cost.

"Enough of this," called out a voice from within his head. "If you won't do what needs to be done, then we will." On hearing those words, a cold feeling overcame him. His body started to emanate a dark shadowy aura.

His eyes fixed on the view screen, with a newfound sense of malice in his expression. "Turn the ship around and charge the main cannons to full," he ordered, and his crew complied. A few of them showed enthusiasm about going on the offensive. At this point, all the ships were trailing directly behind.

"Cannons ready, sir," was announced.

"Target the centre of the group," he paused for a moment to take it in. He then placed his hand on the armrest control panel, and shadowy arcs passed into it. "Open fire!"

As the Galaxy Police ships rapidly approached, the battleship's main forward guns glowed brightly. Just then, the muzzle glows started to arc and glow dark purple. The weapon blasts exploded in a huge dark beam straight at the ships. The ones that were front and centre were torn apart into flames and scattered metal. Some on the outside, or those that tried to move out the way were still caught up, and were rendered smoking crippled wrecks.

"Sir, most of the ships have been disabled or destroyed. The few remaining are now in retreat."

The dark aura faded from Sypher, and he gazed sullenly at the devastation before him. "Take us out of here, before the other ships arrive." The general regained his composure, and his former seriousness returned. "Continue our course... for Earth."


	3. Confrontation

**Tenchi Muyo! – Day of Reckoning**

Ayeka paced her room, feeling at a loss. Then as if snatching at a thread, she looked to the holographic device. She picked it up and felt around underneath for a clip. It opened and her fingers felt for a small crystal component inside. She threw a few glances around, and then pulled it loose, discretely sliding it into her sleeve, and putting the device back down.

The Princess headed to another part of the palace, and she bumped into an elderly Juraian. He was Tolan, an old trusted advisor from when she used to live there.

The older man smiled when he saw her. "Ayeka, I heard that you returned. It is good to see you again," he said with a slight bow. He couldn't help notice a little unease. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Ayeka replied. "I can't help feel that I've lost something."

"May I ask what?" he enquired.

"It escapes me. Maybe you could help me," she suggested. "If you want you could think about it, and give me an idea of where to look for it." Tolan was not sure how to respond.

"Well I have to go." Ayeka reached and grasped his hand, and put her other hand around his wrist. "Take care, old friend."

He smiled and said, "And you too." The princess turned and headed off again. He stood looking in her direction as she walked away, and suddenly noticed something. Reaching inside his sleeve, there was a small data crystal.

...

At the Galaxy Police HQ, Mihoshi was sitting in her ship looking through the booklets she received during the lecture. This isn't fair, she thought, when you pass the Galaxy Police training all this silly studying should be behind you.

The main door of the ship opened and Washu rushed in, startling the blond girl.

"Mihoshi, I was right," Washu said, sounding slightly anxious.

"Oh, what about?" she asked, with innocent curiosity in her eyes.

"There's something going on here. There are strange things happening in the Galaxy Police, but there's more to it. I saw encrypted messages about Jurai... and even Earth."

Mihoshi was getting drawn in. "What did they say?"

"That's the thing. Before I got to read them, someone disabled my data hacking tool." She pulled her blackened crab-shaped device from her pocket. "Look what they did to it!" Washu said, sounding upset. Putting it away, she continued, "I want to find the person responsible for this."

The little scientist went silent for a moment, and a scowl formed on her face. "I bet it's the same guy who's been taking my work and passing it off as his own!" Her expression changed to that of resolve. "Come Mihoshi, let's go and track this bastard down."

"But I've still got all these notes to read," Mihoshi complained.

"Just leave it; we've got something far more important to worry about," Washu countered.

Mihoshi placed her booklet down and nodded. "Okay, lead the way." They both marched out into the station, and the search was now underway. What kind of resistance would we encounter, Washu pondered. She looked forward to it.

**Chapter 3 – Confrontation**

Tenchi continued wandering through the shopping area with Sam, the girl he'd met. He was in an awkward situation; hoping for a chance to learn about her and what she was doing here, but without arousing suspicion. After a while they sat down at a bench.

"I liked this," the red-haired girl said to him.

"Yeah, me too," Tenchi replied. "I came here wanting to do something by myself. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I thought."

"Why did you want to be alone?" she asked.

"It's hard to explain," Tenchi started, and took a moment to organise his thoughts. "I used to have a simple life, and one day my house was filled with people who were staying with us. I never seem to have a quiet day, and there always seems to be something going on... petty squabbles mostly."

Sam glanced downwards and smiled. "That seems like the exact opposite of my life." Tenchi noticed a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Why is that?"

"Recently, things haven't been the same at home. I'm an only child, so it's only me and my parents." She let out a sigh. "As well as that, my dad would be away for weeks at a time. But not long ago, he said he was promoted, and would be away for a long-term assignment... and I don't even know when he'll be back."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tenchi said. This wasn't right, she sounded just like a regular girl... was this really the right person? He didn't feel comfortable checking the reading with her sitting there. He then asked, "What does your father do? It must be something important."

Sam's smile returned a little. "Yeah it is. He works in the military, and he went away on assignment after his promotion. He said he was going to command his own ship." She was in an unfocussed gaze, as she was wrapped up in the image. "Also, Captain Braxton has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Wait, what?" Tenchi let out.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing his reaction.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that his name sounds familiar... maybe I was thinking of something else." He was trying to think of where he heard that name before.

"Actually," Sam continued, "my dad gave me something before he left." She reached inside a small pocket on her blue dress, and pulled out a device, and Tenchi quickly recognised the style as Galaxy Police.

Did she really not know what it was, he thought, but then why did she have it? Just then, he remembered hearing about humans being accepted into the Galaxy Police. Maybe that was where he heard the name from. He felt relieved, as the mystery of the signal was solved.

"Tenchi," the red-haired girl said, and seemed to struggle with her words, "my home isn't too far from here. If you want, you could come home with me." Then with a self-conscious startle, she quickly added, "I mean... we have a guest bedroom, and you're welcome to use it if you want."

"Yeah, I would like that," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

They talked for a while longer, and by the time they had gotten to her house, it was well into evening and the sun was low, and the sky had a warm glow. It was a detached house in a quiet street, and he thought it was kind of pleasant. After entering, the mother was nowhere to be seen; Sam explained that she was away for a few days on a business trip. The two of them sat on the sofa and watched TV for a while before she showed him to the guest room for the night.

As he lay there, in the bed of another strange room, he started to wonder what the next day would bring.

...

Sitting and waiting in her room, Ayeka was anxious to hear back from her sister's captors. On top of that, she was worried about whether or not they spotted her attempt to seek help. The Princess quickly turned when she heard the door chime.

"Enter," she called out, trying to regain composure. A young messenger walked in and gave a curt bow.

"Princess Ayeka, I'm sorry to disturb you. I was told to give you this." He handed her a small data pad. She politely thanked him, and he gave her a quick nod before leaving.

Once she was alone, she waited for an anxious moment before activating the pad. It was a list of instructions. For someone in her position, most of it could be done without much effort, but some of it would require a bit more explanation. It mostly seemed like errands – taking a package of suspicious goods through a checkpoint (no one would think to search her); and getting them access to restricted files.

So far, there had been no two-way communication with these people, and despite feeling worried, a part of her still questioned if it was real or not. As if in response to that thought, she noticed an attachment in the message. Ayeka accessed it, and it opened a video file. It was the same face she saw on the last message.

"I just want to remind you how important it is that you cooperate," Jared said in a level voice. The image panned and turned, showing another guard. "Bring her out."

"Oww, stop pushing me," said a young girl's voice in protest, "where are we going?" From around the corner, Sasami entered the shot. Ayeka's heart skipped a beat.

"As you can see, your sister is unharmed," said Jared's voice from off-screen. The guard that brought Sasami in was taking her away again, with her struggling and objecting. The screen shifted back to Jared's face. "I advise that you get started." Then the video ended.

She did not like this one bit, but she knew that the most important thing was to co-operate, and buy time to find a solution. With any luck, her old friend Tolan would figure out what she asked of him, and come through for her.

...

Tolan, meanwhile, looked for a secure place and sealed the doors, and placed the crystal into a projector. Looking at the tall, muscular, bald-headed figure, he let out a sigh. He recognised him as a recent arrival from a few weeks before.

At first, he was not sure what the princess expected of him to do about it. Just then, he recalled one of the things she had said; "give me an idea of where to look for it". Holographic projectors were set to only display the person, but quite often the raw data would include details about the immediate surroundings. Tolan was familiar with the workings of these things, and he knew how to access and analyse this background data – probably the reason she came to him with it.

...

Washu and Mihoshi had been wandering around, looking for a lead for a while. An idea then came to the little scientist. This was clearly the work of a highly intelligent individual, and anyone that smart would have a superiority complex. In other words, it was a way to manipulate him and force him to surface. She grinned and turned to her blond haired partner.

"We won't have to look for him," she remarked, "we can bring him right to us; and I know just how to do it." She walked off and grabbed Mihoshi's hand, saying, "Come on, let's go," as they headed back to the ship.

Returning to the Yagami, Washu started working at a computer console at the back. She was working on a bulletin announcement designed to attract the culprit's attention. She did learn that someone called Malcolm was involved in these recent technological changes, and he even published papers largely based on her work. She was convinced that this was the one she was after.

The bulletin was designed to look as though awards and commendations were being given out. A personal message would also be sent to his inbox, saying he was to be awarded. She took a moment and decided on 'The First Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence'. He was to report to a lecture hall for a face-to-face talk before the ceremony, supposedly starting later in the day. Washu made a few finishing touches and clicked send, with a satisfied grin on her face.

"The trap has been set," Washu said as she closed down the computer console, and headed for the exit hatch. "Let's go and we can wait for him to show up."

The small lecture hall, which was marked as the location for the ceremony, had a large projector screen at the front, and several rows of seats set to face it. At the rear of the room and to the side a small partition was set up. This was where Mihoshi and Washu waited.

Washu peered round the partition screen and muttered, "Damn, he should have shown up by now."

"Maybe he didn't take the bait," Mihoshi suggested. The little scientist turned to her, about to argue, but she knew it was valid.

What was I thinking? Washu thought to herself, no one with an IQ that high would fall for such a childish ploy. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the main doors open.

"Hello, is anyone here?" a male voice called. She peered out again at the entrance, and it was a young GP officer, in his twenties. He just looked like a regular recruit, and certainly not the person she was looking for. She and Mihoshi stepped out to greet him.

"Can I help you?" Mihoshi asked.

"Emm, I was told to come here. I was meant to show up for the pilot theory lecture." He stopped and glanced at the door. "Is this lecture hall four?"

"No, this is lecture hall two," Washu told him, and the officer suddenly looked a little awkward.

"I better be on my way then, I'm already late," he said as he turned to the exit. Something didn't feel right, and a thought suddenly occurred to her. When arranging this, Washu had noted that there were no lectures on at the time; the next scheduled lecture was in astrometrics and it wasn't for another few hours.

"Well you better hurry," Washu said, "you don't want to be known as the *stupid* cadet who got lost, do you?" she fired at him like a deliberate taunt. Hearing this, he flinched and stopped in his tracks.

"What are you doing?" Mihoshi asked in a strained whisper.

"Yeah, how can someone rely on you when you have no idea where you're going or what you're doing?" Washu persisted.

"Okay now that's just not nice," the blonde girl insisted.

"Oh look at me," Washu continued, now in a heavily mocking tone, "I'm too stupid to do anything for myself, and I have to copy other people's work."

"Wait, what?" Now Mihoshi was confused.

"No I did not!" The young officer yelled as he turned back around, and quickly clasped his hand over his mouth. The little scientist suddenly looked smug.

"Don't give me that. I read your papers, they're just a copy of things I wrote years ago... well the parts that your feeble mind could understand."

"I err, don't understand what you're talking about," he tried, but she just glared right at him. He was about to move for the door, but then Washu produced a controller from her loose sleeve. She quickly worked the controller, and audible clicks could be heard from the main doors, and also the rear exit.

"I've sealed the doors, there is no way out... Malcolm," Washu said, waving her controller. Mihoshi was at a loss for words.

The young man's shoulders dropped, and he let out a sigh. "I guess there is no use in hiding it anymore," he said with a noticeable deeper voice. His body seemed to glow and shimmer. When it cleared up, there was no longer a GP officer standing there, but a short stocky man in a Science Academy uniform. He had the physical appearance of someone in their thirties, with short neat black hair.

"So you're the man who has been stirring things up around here-" Washu said, opening her right hand hand, summoning a red energy orb in her palm, and then clenching over it, igniting it into a light sword, "we finally meet."

...

Tenchi slowly opened his eyes to find it was morning. After a moment, he remembered that he had spent the night at Sam's house. He enjoyed his time with her, it was nice hanging out with an ordinary quiet girl; someone who didn't have super powers or blow stuff up. However, she was apparently related to a Galaxy Police officer, but didn't know anything about it. That would make sense, he thought, you can't exactly tell your family that you fly around in spaceships, and help chase down space pirates for a living.

After he had gotten up and dressed, he left the room and heard movement in the kitchen. Sam was in a dark blue dressing gown, and her long red hair was a little scruffy. She was glancing around and opening cupboards, mumbling mental inventory notes.

Hearing Tenchi's footsteps, she turned towards him. "Oh, morning Tenchi," she said slightly groggily. Going back to scanning the room, she said, "I'm afraid we don't have much right now. I should go and pick up some things later on."

"You don't have to worry about me," Tenchi pointed out, "I can just get something while I'm out."

"Don't be silly," Sam replied, taking another glance at the cupboards. "I should be able to make something from what we have... there just isn't a whole lot to choose from."

She ended up making some toast, and warmed up leftovers from a couple of nights ago. It was nothing fancy, like he would get at home, but it did him just fine. They sat on the couch eating and chatting while looking for something to watch on the TV.

As the day started to wear on, Tenchi and Sam got ready and headed out. It was a pleasant sunny day, and to go with it Sam decided to wear a white blouse and a pale green skirt. She also brought a light jacket, something she regretted not taking the night before; the evening had gotten cooler than she'd anticipated.

Slowly walking along the path to the front gate, she asked, "So, where do you want to go first?"

"Actually, I was thinking... maybe you could suggest a place. I mean you live here and would probably have a better idea of what to do."

"I'm not exactly the best person to ask, to be honest," Sam replied. "Well Griffith Park isn't far from here. Sometimes I like to go there for a stroll, and there's an observatory there if you want to check it out."

Tenchi smiled and said, "Yeah that sounds good."

...

Up in orbit above the Earth, the Equinox had exited to normal space. From the rear of the battleship, a small shuttlecraft launched and headed for the planet. It lit up with a fiery glow as it entered the atmosphere, and it slowly dissipated after a while. As it got near the troposphere – and the target location – the shuttle dipped down towards the water and dived underneath.

...

Ayeka did not know how much more of this she could take. At one point she met with someone on the main landing port and was given a package, which was contained in a small bag that she hung over her shoulder. She then took it to someone inside the main building. Later on, an individual gave her a cluster of data crystals – who knows what kind of information was on them, or what harm she could be doing by letting it out – and she delivered them to the same waiting ship outside.

Tolan continued to work on his analysis. He was making progress in recreating the surroundings from the raw data. The room was moderately large, and there was a balcony. There were a number of places like that in the main palace and nearby buildings. Being able to see the backdrop would have helped, but it was obviously too far away to be captured.

An idea occurred to him. Based on the crude image he recovered, compared to the building plans, there was a match to five different locations. He then analysed the shadows in the image, so he knew where the sun was, relative to the scene. Following on from this, Tolan accessed the timestamp, which said early afternoon. Taking these things into consideration, the balcony of this room was facing south, which only matched one location.

The elder Juraian grinned with a feeling of accomplishment. His smile faded when he heard movement outside. Someone was trying to open the locked door, and he was overcome with a feeling of urgency. He turned back to the computer and quickly wrote a message, along with an image file. Just as the door opened he pressed 'send', which would relay it to a nearby royal messenger, who in turn should pass it onto Ayeka.

"Can I help you?" he asked the two individuals (who seemed out of place, even with the Juraian uniforms), trying to sound casual.

"What are you doing in here?" one of them asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Tolan returned. Not wasting any more time, the other one leapt in, and the old Juraian reacted and they were locked in a grapple. Moments later, both were on him, and he was ducking and weaving as they threw punches and kicks at him.

He was not as strong as he used to be, but these two individuals were stronger than he anticipated. Maybe it was the low lighting, but there seemed to be a darkness in their eyes.

With a concerted force, Tolan threw a punch that knocked one of them back a few feet. This however left him open, and the second opponent struck him in the side of the head, which dazed him. As he struggled to maintain balance, the downed opponent was getting back up. He was evidently becoming impatient; and he quickly pulled out his blaster and shot the Juraian, who crumpled and fell to the floor.

The other soldier, standing closest, turned to him. "We were told only to use our weapons as a last resort."

"Don't worry, it was a stun setting. He'll be fine."

"Well you'll be the one carrying him." He moved to the holographic screen that Tolan was using. It was still active, but whatever programs or screens he was working on had already been closed.

...

Washu continued to lock eyes with Malcolm, as her red beam sword glowed in her hand at her side. Mihoshi was still standing at the side, feeling a little confused as she hadn't quite caught up yet.

"Alright, you better give me some answers," the little scientist declared, pointing the sword towards Malcolm, "what's with all these suspicious plans you have going?" With a more serious tone, she asked, "What do you have planned on Earth?"

Something didn't seem right. Malcolm was unarmed, and made no sign that he posed a threat, yet he seemed perfectly calm; confident even. In fact he started to grin. "You don't get it. If I was the one running all these things, do you honestly think I would be some weakling who would tell you everything, if you asked nicely enough?" He reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small contraption, brought it to the side of his head, and it expanded to become a wireframe headset, with a small visor over his right eye.

"Oh yeah, well what *are* you going to do?" the little scientist taunted him. At that moment, it was as if a shadow flashed across his face, and the small visor lit up. She could feel an eerie energy building up in the room.

"Oh Washu, you forced me out... but you are going to regret doing so."

Mihoshi was overcome with an ominous feeling, and she pulled her blaster out and pointed it towards Malcolm. "Whatever it is you're doing, I want you to stop it, because," Mihoshi stammered, her anxiety clearly showing, "you're under arrest."

The menacing looking scientist gave her a dismissive wave. With her blaster fixed on the target, Mihoshi pulled the trigger, but there was just a hollow click. She started shaking it and mumbling curses at it. Without turning to face her, Malcolm aimed his open hand towards her, and the non-responsive weapon started to hum and let out electrical arcs. The detective quickly threw it away, and it exploded.

Washu, not wasting any more time, leapt in and swung with her light sword. It stopped just inches away when it impacted against an energy shield. She strained and pushed, and the glow surrounding the light sword increased from the extra force. The built up kinetic force reversed, knocking Washu flying back.

Mihoshi aimed a hand at Malcolm and said, "Please don't make this hard on me... err I mean yourself." From her combat suit, she fired a shower of ice blasts from her fingers. The short man just snickered at the incoming torrent, watching it ricochet of his shield and scattering all over the place. The blond girl suddenly found herself frantically dodging the very blasts she fired.

"You really are a persistent one, aren't you," Malcolm said to Mihoshi. He clenched a fist and swung in her direction, and a powerful shockwave struck her. She was thrown back against the wall, which cracked and buckled under the impact, and she fell to the floor.

Washu was back on her feet, and she glared at him. The smug scientist slowly walked over to her, but she remained still. He stared at her and his visor lit up, and suddenly Washu was grimacing and reaching for her throat, as if trying to grasp at an invisible pair of hands. Washu's feet started to lift off the floor.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted her. "I heard stories about the great scientist Washu, and all the inspiration and the fear that came from the mere mention of your name."

"Oh I'm so sorry to disappoint you," she responded sarcastically, but it sounded as though it came from behind him. He let go of his mental grip and turned to where the voice came from. Malcolm was startled to find Washu standing a few meters behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" he exclaimed.

"Let's see if your shield can deflect this." She summoned another orb of red energy in her right hand, and it started to increase in side and intensity. Malcolm entered a defensive stance, intensely focused on the impending attack.

"And... NOW!" Washy yelled. He braced himself, but she didn't fire. He was puzzled, but suddenly out of nowhere, he was met with a white hot pain in the centre of his back, and the terrible overwhelming feeling spread. In shock and agony he glanced down to see a red shaft of light sticking out through him. The light disintegrated and he collapsed to his knees.

In a slow jerking motion he turned around to see Washu standing over him. "What... how?" he strained.

"Well that's what you get for turning your back to your enemy to talk to an inanimate object," Washu said, mocking him. He looked ahead, and he was dumbfounded to see a large stuffed toy, with a crude likeness of Washu, propped up. She sighed and said, "You actually had me there, but then you fell for my little distraction, and you left yourself wide open. I'm surprised you even fell for such a lame trick."

Malcolm cringed and slowly slumped over. Mihoshi was recovering from her daze, and slowly walked over. As the two of them looked down at him, a shadowy aura rose to the surface. It lifted off and dispersed into the air like a dark mist.

"Washu, what is that?" Mihoshi asked, with intimidation in her voice.

"I don't know," she said flatly as she watched, "but this must be related... perhaps some kind possession." She pulled a small scanner from one of her pockets and quickly started a scan before the remaining mist disappeared.

With a start Washu remembered what she had read, and the encrypted files she saw, and made a quick stride for the door. "Mihoshi, we're leaving. We need to get back to Earth as soon as possible."

...

Tenchi and Sam got a few things to eat before heading to the large park area. After some time wandering around and taking in the scenery, they found a good spot of grass, placed their light jackets down, and set out food and drinks. It more or less turned into a picnic. He occasionally did things like this back home, and it would often involve roasting sweet potatoes over a fire.

Afterwards, they visited the observatory. In the past, he did not put much thought into astronomy or space travel, but since the girls came – and all the events that accompanied – he became a lot more curious about these things.

As the day went on, Tenchi felt increasingly distracted. He had started off enjoying the break; it was so free and liberating. However, the novelty was wearing off and he suddenly felt this niggling desire to go back.

"Is there something wrong?" Sam asked, as they slowly walked along the path, heading away from the observatory.

"Oh, it's nothing," he said, not very convincingly. Tenchi took a breath and said, "Actually, I've been thinking of home." They both stopped walking. "I had a lot of fun while I've been here," he gave her a small smile, "and I enjoyed my time with you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course," he replied, "if it wasn't for me bumping into you, I would have spent the whole time by myself, and I doubt it would have been the same."

"Yeah," she averted her gaze, and smiled, "I liked it as well. You were so kind to me... and you even sat and listened to me while I rambled on about my personal troubles. Usually when I talk about that with someone, they reply with a condescending tone; and even when they don't, I felt that they weren't exactly thinking nice thing. But I never saw that with you."

"Well, let's just say that I've seen some colourful people in my time... and you seem perfectly normal by comparison. When I listen to you, I just see a girl who has a lot on her mind." He looked into her eyes and said, "Underneath, you clearly care what people think of you, and you strive to become a better person... and that's a great thing. You really need to believe in yourself more."

Looking back at Tenchi, Sam's smile widened. "I wish I could meet more people like you." Just then her expression changed to sadness. "I suppose you'll be going now."

"I could have stayed around longer," Tenchi started, "I'd book my return ticket, and have you around as I waited... but now it would just feel like a needlessly long goodbye."

"You're right." The red-haired girl looked at him, and she stepped in closer and wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him close, and after a long moment she said, "I will always remember this," not much louder than a whisper. After saying their goodbyes, they went their separate ways.

Tenchi was unaware of the imposing figure watching him from among the trees. Another few minutes of walking, he entered a quiet spot where no one else was around. There was a feeling that someone was behind him, and he quickly turned (thinking perhaps Sam had come back) but no one was there. He gazed in that direction for a few seconds, reflecting on some of the things he did.

When he turned back to continue walking, someone was standing there a few metres in front of him. He was tall with long hair, and his clothes were definitely not typical of someone around here.

"Ah Tenchi, I have heard so much about you. We meet at last," the strange man said, holding his palms out in an open gesture.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sypher."

"What do you want?" Tenchi responded defensively.

"Actually, I'm here to get you. I waited until you were alone so I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. Now, you can come with me the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you," the imposing individual said.

In response, Tenchi's arm instinctively reached for his light sword, but quickly remembered that he never brought it. As if to compensate, he slid he feet into a defensive stance. "If it's all the same, I would rather not."

"Too bad," Sypher said, and immediately leapt for Tenchi, who barely slipped out of the way. He turned to see Tenchi attempting a counter strike, but he caught his hand which left him hanging in mid air. He flashed a wide grin, released his grip, and threw a heavy kick knocking him back and thudding along the ground.

As Tenchi struggled to his feet, his adversary let out a sigh and said, "When I heard of all these powers you had, I was kind of expecting more of a fight." He started to form a shadowy mass of energy in the palm of his hand. When Tenchi made another run, Sypher fired it at him. On contact, his body went into spasm and he grimaced as if electrified, and he collapsed to the ground.

...

Back home, Ryoko was not long up. She found herself wondering what all the others were doing. In fact, it was starting to make her feel self-conscious; as they were all out doing interesting things, and she was indoors obsessing over a silly computer game.

She lay on top of one of the wooden beams, resting her eyes. All of a sudden something got her attention, and she sprung to a sitting position. "Was that an energy spike?" she thought aloud. Whatever it was it was not good. Just then, a sinking feeling came over her. "Tenchi!"

The cyan-haired girl ran outside, closed her eyes and gained a bearing, and teleported away. After a few jumps, she found herself in a park. She anxiously glanced around at her surroundings until she spotted a large figure, wearing some kind of uniform and a cloak. He was standing over someone on the ground, and as she walked closer she realised it was Tenchi.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him. The man threw a cursory glance her way, and returned his attention to Tenchi on the ground. He leaned down and placed something on his arm.

Furious at his ignorant behaviour she charged at him, gliding just above the ground, and firing up her blue light sword. As she rapidly closed in, he made a few button presses on a wrist device. Ryoko stopped in her tracks when both Tenchi and the assailant disappeared in a flash of light.

About a mile from the coast, a section of water erupted as a small shuttle craft emerged. It rapidly gained speed and arched upwards.

Still staring at the empty space, the former space pirate cringed in frustration. She could sense the shuttle taking off in the distance, but as much as she wanted to go after them, this was not the time. She knew that engaging him in such a confined space was a bad idea, and would risk harming Tenchi. They must be heading to a larger ship in orbit, she reasoned, so I'll head back and get the others – just Yosho and Ryo-ohki left, they'll do.


	4. Pursuit

**Tenchi Muyo! – Day of Reckoning**

Ryoko returned to the house and rushed inside with an air of urgency. She saw Noboyuki sitting on the sofa in front of the TV.

"Where is Yosho, I need to talk to him."

The father turned and looked up at her, and replied, "I think he headed up to the shrine not long ago." He barely got to finish his sentence, and the pirate girl marched on. She spotted Ryo-ohki and picked her up by the scruff of her neck, as she squirmed in protest to having her nap disturbed.

"Oh shush, I need you for something important... you can nap later." She teleported just outside the shrine, and continued her march to the entrance and knocked on the door.

"Enter," sounded the elderly voice from inside. Ryoko opened the door and walked in to see Yosho sitting cross-legged at his table with his eyes closed. "Oh Ryoko, you don't usually come up here, what can I do for you?"

"Well, you see," Ryoko started, and took a moment to get the words together, "it appears that some powerful villain has kidnapped Tenchi, and he's taking him up to a ship that's in orbit, and I would like you to come and help."

The old man gave her a flat stern look. Maybe he assumes I'm talking nonsense, she thought. She started to feel uncomfortable, not sure what to say. "Emm... please?" she added, looking out for a reaction.

His expression changed to a bright grin, and he said, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Of course I'll help my grandson... just lead the way." As they headed outside, Ryo-ohki ran ahead, leapt into the air, and transformed into her spaceship form. As the two of them got outside, Yosho stopped.

"Wait, before I go, I want to pick something up at the house."

"What would that be?" she asked.

"I'm going back to get Tenchi's sword. I should take it with me if I'm going to be doing any fighting." As he headed for the stairs leading down the hill, she grabbed hold of his arm and they teleported just outside the house.

"Okay, you go get the sword, and Ryo-ohki will pick you up when you're ready," Ryoko said, just before she teleported away again.

After a short while they were onboard and ready to go, and Ryo-ohki sped off into the sky.

...

On Jurai, a royal messenger approached Ayeka. "Princess, I have a message for you. It is marked as private and urgent." She tried to think what this could be about, but she felt that it was probably just more orders. "I can transfer the message to your data pad if you want," he added, gesturing the device she was holding.

"Alright, go ahead."

He worked his communications block, and said, "Message is transferred, have a nice day, Princess." As the messenger walked off, Ayeka felt hesitant to look at it.

After a long moment, she forced herself to access the message. It was a short text-based message with an image file attached. It read: 'Princess Ayeka, I hope this reaches you. To find what you're looking for, sometimes you have to turn things upside down. I hope this helps – Tolan.'

She accessed the image file, and it appeared to be a crude drawing with lines and shapes. Looking closer, there was a small X drawn on it. What could this possibly mean? Does he expect her to turn the whole place upside down? Then something occurred to her. Ayeka looked at the image again and turned the device upside down, and it suddenly became familiar. It was a simple representation of the palace's layout, and the X was located in the southern section.

"Maybe that's where she is," she said to herself and a hopeful smile came to her face. "He came through for me." The princess's expression changed to concern and urgency, and she headed off at a brisk pace; making a note not to run, hoping not to arouse suspicion.

**Chapter Four – Pursuit**

The battleship Equinox broke orbit after bringing the small shuttlecraft aboard. Sypher entered the bridge and seated himself in the Captain's chair, watching the viewscreen as the planet shifted out of view.

"We have what we came here for, now set a course for-" he was promptly cut off by the tactical officer.

"Sir, a ship is on an intercept course, coming from the planet below."

At this, the General stopped to think for a moment. "Ah yes, the girl that tried to interfere down on the surface," he said to himself, "well she won't get far... not against this ship." His expression turned serious. "Battle stations!" he barked.

Ryoko sat on the main chair onboard Ryo-ohki, and Yosho stood beside her. She looked at the readings, and up at the ship on the large imager in front of her.

"That ship looks heavily armed," Yosho commented, "is it wise to attack that thing by ourselves?"

The cyan-haired girl fought back her apprehension. "Oh sure, I've been in tougher scrapes than this."

"If you say so," he replied. Yosho knew there was no arguing with her. Instead, he made a silent prayer for them to get out of it in one piece.

Ryo-ohki leapt into firing range and started her attack. The small ship rolled and shifted as it dodged the incoming barrage of pulse laser fire. Getting in closer it charged its main weapon, summoned an aura of white energy, and unleashed it on the battleship, impacting heavily on the shields.

A strong tremor hit the command deck, and the crew struggled to hold themselves steady; one officer was knocked clear from his seat.

"Our shields are holding, but the impact caused minor hull damage," the tactical officer called out.

Ryo-ohki had moved out and was about to make another run. Yosho was kneeling over one of the crystals and monitoring readings, in the hope of making himself useful.

"Ryoko, we just received a message," he said, and looked again to make sure, "it looks like it's coming from that ship."

"What, you mean the one firing at us?" she replied, and reeled from a hull impact.

"It's not over a regular channel," Yosho stopped to look at the message, "it's telling us to fall back, and there are numbers... it looks like a set of co-ordinates and a time frame. It could be someone trying to help from inside."

"Even if that's true, I would rather not rely on someone who may or may not be able to help," Ryoko responded.

"That's a valid point, but if we fall back now, it gives us a chance to get assistance."

Ryoko hesitated, and then let out a sigh. "Ryo-ohki, take us out of weapons range." The battleship continued to move away, and it eventually jumped to hyperspace. The cabbit ship sent a message to GP HQ, only to discover that Mihoshi's ship had departed. They then managed to get through to the Yagami.

When Washu's face appeared on the holographic screen, Ryoko said, "Hey, whatever you're doing over there, it'll have to wait. We can do with your help over here."

"Yeah, I was on my way back actually," Washu replied, and looked a little concerned. "What happened?"

"A large ship showed up, then they took Tenchi and left."

"What; and you let this happen?" her voice slightly accusing.

"It's... complicated," Ryoko tried.

Yosho decided to step in. "This won't get us anywhere. We were caught by surprise and they brought a heavily armed warship." That caught Washu's attention.

"Oh it must be the Equinox. It was built just recently... it's no Souja, but it's still a ship to be reckoned with. We can talk about this more when we rendezvous. Also, I already tried to contact Jurai, but Ayeka was not available."

"Washu, we got a signal from someone onboard," the elderly Juraian pointed out, "I have reason to believe someone is working from within."

"The ship was recently captured, so it's possible that some of the former crew is still onboard," the scientist added. "But all the same, I would approach this with caution."

"It gave us a set of co-ordinates, and what looks like a time frame. If this is accurate, it means we don't have time to lose."

"Fine, send the co-ordinates and we'll see you there," the little scientist replied. Yosho entered a few commands on the holoscreen projected by the crystal.

"What does Mihoshi have to say about this?"

"Oh she's busy flying the ship, I'll be sure to tell her. Washu out." The signal cut out and the holographic display disappeared.

...

[Two days ago.]

Things started off so well. Captain John Braxton was the first human to reach that rank, let alone given the command of a top-of-the-line starship. All of a sudden, mysterious ships appeared and used some kind of pulse that knocked out the crew. Next thing he knew, he awoke in one of the holding cells with several other officers.

The Captain paced his cell, not content with being trapped there while the ship – his ship – was being commandeered by some unknown force, and used for god knows what. It was a long row of large cells with the opening covered by a force field. He noticed that no one was left to guard them. Also each cell had a rudimentary food and drink dispenser (just plain rations and water), so no one had to come in for those reasons. Though every once in a while, someone did wander in to briefly check on them.

"We need to do something, we can't just take this lying down," said one of his cellmates. He was a young officer with short blonde hair, probably been in service no more than a few years.

"Well of course, we all do," Braxton responded. "Sadly it's easier said than done, but I'm certainly open to suggestions."

"Wait a second," said another crewman, "the food dispenser is hooked up to the main power grid. Also, our captors were in such a hurry to put us away, they didn't take away all our equipment. I still have my omni-tool and data pad in my pocket. I might be able to fashion something together and gain rudimentary access to ship systems."

"That doesn't make any sense," the Captain pointed out. "Why would they install something in a holding cell that could allow something like this?"

The tech officer replied, "This is a new ship, and the idea of having a food dispenser in the cells was an experimental idea. I guess it was just an oversight on their part." He grinned and said, "Want me to write a complaint?"

For several hours, the tech officer worked to set something up. Others provided assistance, including Braxton, and a couple of them took turns keeping watch. On the few occasions that a soldier came in, the tools were concealed and the panel was closed. Content that everything seemed to be status quo, they would leave.

The technical officer let out a burst of enthusiasm when information started to spring up on his data pad. "I'm making progress. I am starting to receive system data from a number of systems. I can see engine and weapon activity, and I should be able to access sensor data." He trailed off as he continued to work. "Ah there, it won't make much difference to us, but it might give us a clue of where we are, and where we're going."

Later on, the holding area was subjected to violent tremors. Consulting the data on the small device, they discovered that the ship was under attack. The Captain was unsettled; the GP had mounted their offensive, and there was nothing they could do to help. All they could do was watch.

...

With no sign of escape anytime soon, the crew were taking turns to try and get some sleep. The Captain took his turn, though it was largely restless. When he awoke, he looked to the dispenser where a different crewmember was working on it. He looked back at the Captain and said, "Sir, while you were out, we got access to visual spectrum sensors, and I'm working on getting access to the communications array."

Still groggy and blinking the sleep from his eyes, Braxton said, "Good job." He slowly stood up and walked over. "Can I have a look at the visual data? I don't know what good it'll do, but it would be nice to see something other than the inside of this cell. The officer worked on the device for a moment, and handed it to him. He tapped and slid his finger on the screen, moving the view angle around, looking around the starscape. Another slide brought a planet in view. The Captain looked at the blue planet with a tired disconnected curiosity. Just then, it hit him like an electric shock, and his heart sank. It was Earth.

Braxton suddenly felt unsteady on his feet, and sat back down on his bunk. What was the ship doing at Earth? He was lost in those thoughts for several minutes, until the officer caught his attention again.

"Oh, Captain," he started, "I just gained access to communications. However, we cannot just send any signal as they will quickly realise it was us. In fact, I think I found a way to sabotage the ship."

That managed to get his attention. "Really?"

"Well," he started to sound unsure, "I have a few ideas, but there is no guarantee that they'll work. Also, for it to do any good, we will need to do it during an attack... otherwise they'll just hide and make repairs."

"Well, keep at it," the Captain added.

Less than an hour later, they started to move away from the planet, much to Braxton's relief (though he was still unnerved, wishing he knew why it was here in the first place). Shortly after, a ship was detected on an intercept course, and once again the room was turbulent in the heat of combat.

"Can you identify the ship?" Braxton asked.

"Let me see. I think it's the Ryo-ohki, and its last known location was over Earth. I believe it was involved in the destruction of the Souja."

The Captain's face brightened. "This looks like our chance. You said you had access to communications?"

"Yeah," the crewman replied, and he struggled to keep his balance after a sharp jolt, "I can mask the signal so we won't be discovered... not with all this weapons fire out there."

"Do what you have to." After waiting a moment (which seemed to pass in slow motion), the other ship started to move away. "It looks like they got it," Braxton said, feeling slightly relieved, "now we just have to do our part."

...

Meanwhile, Ayeka was hurrying to reach the location indicated on the map. She made her way along a corridor, and her anxiety increased as the neared the door at the end. The princess stopped at the double doors, and took a deep breath.

Jared was standing at the balcony, looking out at the forest view. It was along the edge of a moderate sized hall, with a scattering of ornate pillars. One of his assistants stood at his left-hand side.

"Are things going as planned?" The tall bald-headed man asked.

"It appears so," replied the assistant. "So far, the princess has helped to bring in sensitive equipment, which would've taken weeks otherwise. We even got data crystals, containing important information about their military and internal defences. It is onboard our ship, ready to depart shortly."

"Excellent," Jared said, "dismissed."

Just then, the door opened and they both turned to see Ayeka. She locked eyes with him and said, "Where is Sasami? Where is she?"

"Ah, so that meddlesome old man managed to reach you before we silenced him."

"What did you do to him?" she demanded, anxiety was in her voice.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head. A couple of my assistants apprehended him, and took him where he wouldn't be a bother. I know I told you not to tell anyone, but I realised that I could just silence him, and I wouldn't have to gamble with my main leverage."

"I demand you take me to my sister," Ayeka said. She tried to summon her miniature logs, but nothing happened.

"Oh, I should probably mention," Jared remarked, "there's a dampening field preventing teleportation, like from your guardian logs. I always suspected that you would find me, and I took some precautions." He then turned to his subordinate and said, "It might be better if you just leave. Go and help prepare the ship for departure." Without question, he nodded and swiftly headed out.

Ayeka watched him leave, and returned her gaze to her adversary. "I may not have my logs, but I have other methods of fighting you... if you insist on getting in the way." She clenched both her fists, and they started to emit a white glowing aura.

"Actually, to show that I'm a good sport, I will tell you where they are. Both Sasami and the old man are in the room behind me, beyond that locked door. However, if you want to get to them, you will have to go through me." He shifted into a defence stance, and held his fists out in front of him. For a moment, Ayeka thought she could see a darkness in his eyes, but dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her.

"What, you're not going to make the first move?" he asked. "Okay, then I will." He leapt towards her with a startling speed, and she barely had time to react and summon a shield to block the incoming fist. He continued to push forward, and the girl's purple hair thrashed around, as if caught in a gale, as she struggled to hold him off. It quickly became too much and she leapt backwards, creating a space between them.

Ayeka countered by throwing a volley of white energy blasts at Jared, but his superior agility allowed him to dodge them; the blasts scorched and damaged the walls and items around the hall. Several more were fired, and he continued to dodge and weave through them, and progressed closer to the princess. One blast impacted his left arm, faltering his approach, but he continued. The last one was sidestepped, and he thrust his fist, hitting her in the middle of her chest, knocking her painfully against the wall. She was on the ground, struggling to regain her footing, and her hand clenched against her chest.

Jared looked at her with a grin, and said, "Don't tell me you're giving up, I thought we were just getting started."

Ayeka flinched, and her expression was of rage and defiance. "I'm not going to let some low down thug like you keep me from my Sister!" she barked at him. She looked at her right hand, clenched into a fist, and swirls of white energy swirled over it. As the intensity steadily increased, she looked back to her opponent. He smirked at her, as if beckoning her to attack. Then she noticed something strange. He was clenching and holding himself rigid. He must just be bracing himself, she thought.

"This is for all the trouble and the misery that you put us through!" She brought her fist forward, and with great power, she catapulted herself at him. She caught him square in the chest, with a loud oomph, and the momentum carried the two of them both across the hall. Smashing into a pillar, which cracked and bucked in the impact, they fell to the floor. Ayeka got to her knees and saw the bald man still lying there. He stirred, and suddenly coughed up a spray of blood.

"Looks like... you got the better of me," Jared said, between struggled breaths.

Something about this didn't seem right. However, since her opponent appeared to be down, she leaned over him looking around, and then spotted a key clipped to his belt. She took the key and quickly headed for the locked door. When she opened the door, Sasami was kneeling and facing the other way.

"What do you want now?" the blue-haired girl shot, without turning.

"Sasami, it's me," Ayeka said, taking a step into the room, and the girl sharply turned at the sound of her voice. She got to her feet and ran over, with such haste that her balance wavered, and threw her arms around her big sister.

Ayeka looked ahead and saw Tolan sitting in the corner of the room. He had a few bruises, but otherwise seemed fine, which made her feel relieved. He got up and walked over to her.

"What happened to Jared?" he asked.

"I took care of him," the Princess replied. The three of them walked out to see him still lying there. Ayeka stood over him as he slipped away, and suddenly became still. Despite what he did, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Once again, she saw what looked like a shadow over him, but this time it started to rise from him like vapour. They watched for a long moment until it was gone.

None of them were sure what to make of it, and just as they turned to walk away, they were startled when they heard a loud draw of breath coming from Jared. They all stood, wary and defensive. He slowly blinked his eyes open, and struggled to get into a sitting position.

"It's... it's gone," he said through laboured breaths.

"What are you talking about," Tolan asked the man who appeared to be dead just a moment ago.

"It was inside me," Jared replied, with slightly more ease. "It watched over me, and it would manipulate my actions when it deemed fit."

"Are you talking about that... dark mist I saw?" Ayeka asked.

"I guess so," he said. "I worked under a man called Sypher on the planet Orion, and one day he came to me a drastically changed man. He told me he had found a source of great power; that I would have the power to do anything, and all I had to do was open myself up to it."

He slowly made it to his feet with an uneasy footing. Ayeka went over and helped hold him steady. Standing closer, she looked at his face. Where there used to be malice, she saw a gentle kindness, and there was also sorrow. "So, what happened," she asked.

"I was working for a movement, with the idea of changing things for the better. I never condoned violence, but after we gained this new power, everything started to change. The faction started to take a harsher and more violent approach." Jared started to show a pained expression. "Several times, I wanted to hold back and find a better way, but I was overcome by a dark will, and I lost control. I did violent things which I never would have done otherwise. Though sometimes, I can provide an alternative, and assuming I give a convincing argument, it let me."

"Why are you telling us this?" Tolan asked.

"It took a lot of effort, but I got the better of it." He smiled, but was overcome with a spasm of coughing, and clutched his right arm to his chest.

"How did you do that?"

He looked to Ayeka and said, "When you launched your last attack at me, I forced myself to keep my guard down, and let you hit me. When I was on the ground, I utilised a technique I learned; I had entered a state that reduces my vitals to a point where I appeared to be dead. Then, believing I was of no use anymore, it left me. To join with Sypher I assume."

On their way out, with Ayeka still helping him, he proceeded to explain their objectives on Jurai, and advised them to impound the docked ship before it launched. He also gave information on the other operatives in the palace.

Later, Ayeka said, "There's one thing you didn't explain. Why was it so important to bring me to Jurai, and then to keep me here?"

"I'm sorry, but I was only following my objectives; Sypher never adequately explained. However, I got the feeling that he was trying to keep you away from something." All of a sudden, a feeling of dread came over the princess.

"I have to go," she said in an urgent voice as she headed off in a hurry. She quickly returned her ship and arranged to depart. Ayeka did not know what she would be running into, so she decided to leave Sasami where she was.

...

The battleship had entered a green nebula. There was a dark green mist all around them, scattered with dark spots and random pulses of light and electrical arcs. It was the last stop before returning to the planet Orion.

Onboard the Equinox Sypher made his way to the main cargo bay. It had been fitted out with a range of scientific equipment. He walked through the large space looking at the things that had been set up. Getting to the end, he saw Tenchi, unconscious inside a stasis pod. His shirt had been removed, and he was hooked up to various scanning and analytical equipment.

"Deactivate the pod," he ordered. A scientist in the room responded and worked the control panel a few metres to the side. The white cloudy aura inside the pod dissipated, and the curved transparent front screen unhinged and flipped open. Tenchi groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The equipment around him changed the rhythm of their beeps and tones to reflect his arousal into consciousness.

"Hello again," Sypher said in an artificially welcoming tone. Tenchi became more aware of his surroundings and startled into alertness.

"What do you want from me, why did you bring me here?"

"You see, I am an ambitious man, and I have big plans for my organisation. I seek power. I do that by expanding, and gaining support and assistance from certain parties."

"Whatever you have planned, I'm not going to help you," Tenchi responded defiantly.

"Oh but that's not why you're here. I know about your powers... your ability to create Lighthawk Wings. I want to know how it works, and find out how to harness it for myself."

Tenchi let out a sigh. "Is that what it's about? I should tell you that a brilliant scientist – with far better resources at her disposal – has already tried, and never got anywhere."

"Well, we'll see about that." He turned to a nearby scientist. "How are the tests coming along?"

"I'm sorry to say, General, we have done all the scans that this gear is capable of, and we have made no progress. If he has any of these powers that you claim, we're not seeing it." The scientist briefly paused, looking slightly anxious. "Is it possible that maybe you got the wrong person?"

"Of course I got the right person!" yelled the general.

"Didn't I just tell you?" Tenchi remarked. "This whole thing was a waste of time."

Sypher turned to him. He lost his composure, and a rage was rising to the surface. "I have other ways to obtain powers from someone." He thrust his hand against Tenchi's chest. He grimaced as a pain spread throughout his body, and suddenly felt as though something was ripping the life out of him. As the pain got worse, a green symbol on his forehead glowed, and Sypher's hand was blown back, as if receiving an electric shock. He reeled and stumbled back a few steps.

The general held his hand and looked at the boy with resentment, and suddenly the angry expression changed to an unsettling grin. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're no use to me after all. On the other hand, I can't have a powerful individual like you around, who could get in the way of my plans." Tenchi did not like where this was going.

"You see, I always suspected that I would not get anything from this. That's one of the reasons I'm here in this secluded area, inside a nebula. No scanners can find the ship here. I could kill you and no one would ever know what happened to you, or who was responsible."

Sypher paced for a moment and continued, "I got two of my lieutenants to draw some of your housemates away. It also seems that your friends took both of them out, but the damage has already been done. To take on everyone at once would have been foolish, but because of my divide and conquer strategy, I shall systematically fight and defeat them one or two at a time."

Static came from the general's communication device, and a voice spoke. "Sir, you better come up here, there's a ship approaching."

"Impossible! There's no way someone could detect us in here. I'm on my way." His attention returned to Tenchi. "Looks like I have some business to take care of first." At that, he briskly headed for the exit, with the flow of his cloak behind him.

He barely set foot onto the comment deck when the room shook violently, and he clung to the door frame to keep himself steady. "Report!"

"We are under attack," the tactical officer responded, and checked his readings. "It appears to be the same ship from before."

"Well it doesn't matter, open fire!" he ordered, returning to his command chair.

Ryo-ohki dodged through the shower of energy blasts. Despite all her efforts, some of them still hit home. The small ship managed to close in and unleash another powerful strike.

Yosho looked at the sensor readings displayed on one of the crystals. "Their shields are weakening, but I don't know how long we can keep this up."

"Yes I know," Ryoko replied, "I just hope those people onboard do something soon."

Sypher was becoming impatient. "I've had enough of this. Helm, point us towards the ship. Charge the main forward cannons... I want to strike them head on in their next pass."

As Ryo-ohki started another run, Yosho had a look of worry on his face, "I'm seeing a huge energy build up." There was a bright glowing aura as the power accumulated, but then the glow started to flicker and destabilise. Suddenly it faded out, and an explosion tore into the ship.

On the command deck, it was as though gravity had flipped, as three officers were thrown like ragdolls. A rear console ruptured, and the explosive discharge propelled a nearby officer over the railing, less than a metre from the general.

Sypher shot to his feet, and barked, "Damage report, what the hell was that?"

The tactical officer placed a hand on his console and pulled himself to his feet, and looked at the readings. Dumbfounded, he responded, "It looks like the secondary power coils just... exploded."

The imposing leader glared at him. "Don't be ridiculous. The main weapons of a ship don't just explode by themselves!" On the other hand, that small ship out there certainly couldn't have done it. His expression turned glum as the only plausible explanation reared its ugly head. "It was sabotage."

"General, the explosion has knocked out our shields, and our hyperspace drive is offline."

Seeing the pandemonium, Ryoko said, "Ryo-ohki, take us onboard." In response, Ryo-ohki flew straight for the Equinox, ploughed one of its large spikes into the hull, and teleported the two passengers onboard.

Ryoko and Yosho stood in a dark corridor. The dark grey colour scheme was darkened further by the fact that the main lighting was disabled. There was just the low level emergency lighting and the intermittent glow of the red strip lights, indicating the alert status.

"Looks like they came through for us," Yosho said.

"Yeah, they helped us get on board," Ryoko replied and turned to him with a sly grin, "and now we begin phase two. Let's go." They both headed off down the corridor, and their search for Tenchi was now underway.


	5. Reckoning

**Tenchi Muyo! – Day of Reckoning**

Ayeka stood onboard her ship, Ryu-oh, and was just about to depart. She stood in front of the sentient tree, and around her was flat stone floor with neat geometric grooves where water flowed. A holographic screen materialised, showing a female Juraian officer.

"Princess Ayeka," she said, "we have an incoming signal, and they are wishing to speak to you. Would you like me to patch it through?"

"Of course," Ayeka replied. The screen phased out, and the woman's face was replaced with Washu's.

"Oh good, I got through this time," the little scientist said, sounding anxious.

"What's wrong?"

"According to Ryoko, someone came to Earth and took Tenchi," Washu explained. Ayeka let out a faint gasp and clasped her hands over her chest. "I am sending a set of coordinates to you now." The red-haired scientist briefly looked down and looked back up again. "Ryo-ohki is ahead of us, and I cannot reach them due to interference. I suggest you get here as soon as you can; Washu out." The screen faded and disappeared.

One of the small wooden orbs hovered beside the Princess, anticipating an order. Ayeka then said, "Alright, set a course for the co-ordinates we just received."

"But Princess, it appears to be located inside a hazardous region of space. Are you sure you want to go there?"

"Of course," she replied. "They need me there."

"Very well, Princess."

Ryu-oh broke orbit and headed out. Not far away, a white silhouette of a Juraian ship appeared, with ten wings etched out. Moments later, the silhouette faded away.

...

Mihoshi sat at the controls of her ship. Looking outside, the space ahead of them was a vast green mist. The roiling clouds and the sporadic bursts of light from within made her feel unnerved.

"So they're in there," she said thoughtfully. "There's no way of knowing what's on the other side."

Washu stood behind her, with her hand leaning against the back of the chair. Before Mihoshi could continue, she said, "It's best not to think about it. Let's just go in and hope that everything turns out fine." The blond girl let out a half smile.

"Alright we're going in." She grabbed the acceleration lever, and slid it forward sharply. The Yagami blasted off into the huge green mass towards their goal.

...

Onboard the Equinox bridge, Sypher stood for a moment looking at the disorder around him. The ship was very different to when they first got it, when it was brand new and in pristine condition. But now various consoles were cracked and broken, a couple of seats were torn out from their bolted positions, and there were scorch marks and clusters of debris scattered around.

"They can have their fun for now," he said and started for the exit, "but soon it'll be my turn." The door shut behind him.

**Chapter Five – Reckoning**

Ryoko and Yosho continued their journey through the large ship. Yosho had the ornate sword out, and the energy blade ignited. They reached a corner, and peeked around to see two soldiers idling. This time, the Juraian took his turn to attack. The soldiers fired their blasters, and he deflected the shots with precise sword swings as he closed the gap. He leaped and downed one with a kick, and whacked the other in the shoulder with the butt of the sword, knocking him out.

The pirate girl came out and walked over to him. "Enjoying yourself, old man?"

"We're here on a mission, I'm just doing what needs to be done," he stated in a heavily formal tone. Ryoko kept her gaze fixed on him. All of a sudden, his expression broke into a wide grin, and he said, "Though it is quite exciting."

One of the downed soldiers groaned and started to stir. Noticing this, Ryoko grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him up to eye level.

She gave him a fierce glare and said, "You people kidnapped a friend of mine, and you better tell me where he is... otherwise your face goes through that wall. Got it?"

The soldier trembled and struggled to speak. "We... we did pick someone up, and the General had him taken to the cargo bay."

"Why is that?"

"I, I don't know, something about tests or something."

"There, that wasn't so bad was it," Ryoko remarked with a grin, and flung him dismissively to the floor.

Yosho went to a nearby computer panel and accessed a layout of the ship. He scanned over the map and found where the cargo bay was.

"Ryoko, it looks like the entrance is ten metres along, and three decks down."

In response, she said, "okay then." The pirate girl got down to her knees and looked to the floor. She summed a ball of energy in her palm, and was intently focussed on it. She then pointed it downwards, and it erupted in an explosion of light, and Yosho shielded his eyes. When it was cleared, there was a huge hole that went through the floor, and a couple more floors below it.

"Coming?" Ryoko asked.

"Guess that'll save some time." He looked down the hole and back at her. "Ladies first." They took their turns jumping down the long hole, which stopped on the correct deck, and headed for a large set of doors.

They walked inside and were met with a scattering of scientific equipment along the walls. There were two metal staircases leading to an upper level, one on each side, and grappling equipment on the ceiling (presumably to help lift and move heavy cargo containers). The two of them looked around the large hall-like room. Then, in a secluded corner, Yosho spotted Tenchi inside the stasis pod.

"Ryoko, over here," he called, but in more of a strained whisper. He approached a control panel to the side, with Ryoko close behind, and attempted to open it. After a moment of looking it over, he pressed a few controls and the pod started to open. The cyan-haired girl rushed down, and took Tenchi in her arms as soon as it opened, and she carefully pulled him out.

Ryoko was on her knees and Tenchi lay with the back of his head against her. She watched intently but he remained still, and suddenly she heard footsteps to which she quickly turned her head. A scowl came across her face when she saw who it was.

"Ah, we meet again," Sypher said.

...

In the holding area, where the original crew were being held, the force fields covering the cells were fluctuating. The explosion which occurred onboard had damaged power conduits, and it caused various system failures all over the ship. The barrier briefly collapsed for one of the cells, and an officer got out before it came back on. Outside the cell, he accessed the cell controls to deactivate the force fields.

Braxton was astonished by what he was seeing. He turned to the tech officer and asked, "Would you mind filling me in on what has just happened?"

He smiled at the Captain and said, "In a previous battle, they used the main cannon. It's a very powerful weapon, but it requires several seconds to charge. That's because it takes a while to generate that much power, and because there is only so much the coils can handle. I figured out how to create a feedback loop, causing the charged energy to be released into the weaker secondary coils, and then waited until the very last moment."

"It appears that your plan worked... even if it did mean crippling my ship."

The tech officer's expression showed a hint of unease. "Though I have to confess, I was not entirely sure when the cannon would fire, and I was running the risk of triggering it too late... or if it would even work."

"It's best not to think about things like that, it's not good for your mental health," Braxton replied. Just then he noticed the force fields being deactivated.

"Okay, listen up," the Captain announced loudly so everyone could hear him. The buzz of chatter quickly faded into silence. "We are free from our cells, but it does not mean that we should all go running outside, and risk getting killed. Instead I will take a few volunteers and get armed up. There is an armoury not too far from this location."

Braxton looked around and picked three people to go with him – two well-built individuals who he knew were trained in weapons and combat, and his handy tech officer. The three of them came forward and accompanied him to the exit. When the door slid open, a soldier was idling and facing along the corridor. Braxton grappled him from behind, gave him a quick chop at the base of the neck, and took hold of the pulse rifle as he eased the stunned soldier to the floor.

Further along, another soldier turned towards the ruckus, but the Captain levelled the rifle and fired before he could react.

"Okay, now let's see about getting to that weapons locker."

...

Ryoko stood up gently lowering Tenchi to the floor, and turned to Sypher.

He gave her a devious grin and said, "I see you couldn't stay away. I also know you're just itching to start fighting, so I won't keep you waiting any longer." The General widened his stance, and beckoned for her to make the first move. The space pirate bared her teeth, summoned blue energy to her right hand and ignited it into an energy sword.

With a growl of anger, she took off and glided towards him at high speed and swung her sword. Sypher arched to the side and dodged the attack. He swiftly ducked, leapt and sidestepped a barrage of swings. Then, finding an opening, he launched a powerful kick that knocked her back. Countering, Ryoko flew back towards him, firing a hail of blue energy blasts. He managed to dodge several, but two of them hit – his left arm, and then the middle of his chest, causing him to buckle to his knees.

Sypher grimaced and clutched his arm against his chest. Yosho looked upon this, feeling that there was something off about it. He continued to watch intently as Ryoko slowly approached. But before he could say anything, Sypher leapt out and clutched the space pirate by her throat. She grunted in anger, but when she tried to fight him, her limbs were starting to feel weak.

Ryoko was straining and looked at Sypher, whose features started to darken. "What... are you doing... I can't," she said with a struggle.

Seeing Ryoko's distress, Yosho ignited his sword and leapt in. Not keen on losing his hand, Sypher let go and leapt back. The Juraian followed through and went on the offensive. He commenced his pursuit as they leapt between platforms and control stations. Yosho pressing forward with swings of his sword, and Sypher gracefully weaved and leapt away from his swinging arcs. One swing, while on an upper platform, sliced through a support wire, causing it to slip and go lop-sided.

The cat and mouse chase continued until Sypher leapt back far enough to buy himself a couple of seconds. In that brief window, he summoned dark energy around his hands. In turn, he swung each fist, firing shadowy projectiles at his target. Yosho put his arm up and summoned a shield to deflect the attack. It was taxing, and after blocking a few shots, the Juraian started to waver. The General saw this and capitalised on it. He swiftly closed in and started throwing heavy punches. Yosho struggled to block them and ducked one, which continued and smashed into the pillar right behind him. Trying to back away, he lost his footing, and the imposing figure slowly approached him.

Just as Sypher reached his arm out, he was suddenly struck by a blast from behind. He shot his gaze back at the source, where Ryoko was back on her feet.

"What a nuisance," he grumbled, and started to summon dark energy in his hands. He threw it at Ryoko, and suddenly it expanded and wrapped around her. Her arms were bound by her side, and as much as she struggled, it would not budge. "Right, now you won't get into anymore mischief."

Before he could turn back to Yosho, he noticed a white light in his peripheral vision. He turned to face it, to see Washu and Mihoshi standing there.

"I see you all started without me," said the little scientist. Mihoshi ran over to Tenchi who was still unconscious. She leaned over him, worried, but her anxiety faded slightly as he appeared to be unharmed; though she did notice a small green symbol glowing on his forehead.

...

Captain Braxton had taken his three fellow crewmembers to a nearby weapons locker. They took pulse rifles and some combat armour.

"Okay, I think we should try to make our way to the command deck," Braxton suggested.

"If we secure that location, I should be able to access most of the ship's systems," said his tech officer. "However, wouldn't it be heavily guarded?"

"Well, with all the chaos going on, I think their attention would be elsewhere for now," replied the Captain.

The four of them stalked along the corridor, alert for any resistance. One of them held back slightly, and faced backwards, ensuring no surprise attacks from behind. When they got to the lift, the Captain pressed the button to summon it, but they had to wait. Every second seemed to pass slowly, as they looked down both directions of the corridor.

Back the way they came, three soldiers were walking along and spotted them. Braxton and his officers quickly spotted them and dived into nooks at the side of the corridor – not enough to completely conceal them, but enough to obscure them slightly. The Captain leaned out and managed to take one down with one of his opening shots.

The other soldiers took a similar approach, and they took turns taking a few shots before ducking back. One enemy was caught out, and then one of Braxton's officers got hit in the chest. The other large officer ran to him, and fired several shots, taking out the last soldier.

The downed officer groaned, and slowly got up, clutching his chest. "Good thing we dropped by and picked up this new armour," he said, looking down at the scorch mark it left.

"Also, it's a good thing it was locked away," the tech officer added. "It looks like they hadn't tried to get in yet. If they had, *we* would be the ones fighting armoured enemies." Just as he finished the sentence, a chime sounded from the lift, and the doors opened.

"About time," Braxton remarked, "now let's get in before more of them show up." They hurried inside, the door closed, and they were on their way. As it took them to their destination he said, "Set your weapons to power setting number three. It's powerful enough to hurt the soldiers, but without risk of damaging the computer systems." The Captain and his officers tweaked the settings on the side of their rifles.

In the moments before they got there, the Captain pulled a pulse grenade from one of the pouches on his combat armour. As soon as the door opened, he quickly rolled it out, well within the large room.

"Grenade!" cried out of the soldiers within the command deck. Suddenly, they all scattered, desperate not to be blown to many small pieces. Just then, Braxton charged in with his rifle blazing, and his fellow officers quickly followed. In the chaos and confusion, the soldiers were taken off guard, and barely got a shot off before they were all taken down.

Braxton slowly approached the grenade on the floor, and the others looked upon him feeling anxious and confused. He picked it up and then held it in front of him, and said, "The pin wasn't pulled."

"That's not funny!" exclaimed the tech officer.

"Yes it is," the Captain replied simply, with a snicker, and one of the large officers smiled.

The officer let out a sigh and said, "Whatever you say; I'll go get to work."

...

Mihoshi remained over Tenchi, and Washu locked eyes with Sypher. Yosho had gotten back to his feet.

"Washu, be careful," Yosho said. "Don't let him grab you. I can't explain it but he has an ability to drain the energy from people." She looked slightly puzzled.

"Malcolm grabbed me, but he never did that."

"Well," Sypher cut in, "he never had that ability, but I do. What he had was merely an offshoot of the power bestowed upon me."

"What, you mean that dark energy I saw... after I killed him?" she asked, but also made it sound like a taunt.

He let a frown show, and said, "Yes, the dark energy. As for the ability to drain ones energy, I'm doing just that with your friend over there." He gestured towards Ryoko. "As we speak, the energy web that imprisons her is also slowly sapping her strength, and making me stronger."

"Enough talking," Washu said. Both she and the Yosho stepped into an offensive stance, ready to resume the battle.

"Ah, so you're ready to continue where we left off."

Washu summoned a red ball of energy in her right hand, and Yosho reignited his beam sword and went in on the offensive.

The general leaped around, dodging sword swings and energy blasts. Suddenly the Juraian managed to back him into a wall. He held his sword high, and angled down towards his opponent. There was a struggle as Yosho pressed his sword towards him, and Sypher strained to hold him off. He cringed and eventually pushed Yosho back, and with a strike of his fist, knocked the sword out of his hand. The sword flew and came to rest with its energy blade imbedded in the wall.

Sypher threw a powerful kick, but the Juraian jumped back out of the way. Not wasting time, Washu fired a blast and Sypher blocked with his forearm. He countered with a dark blast of his own, and Washu barely ducked out of the way in time; and the console a few metres behind her exploded into smoke and scattered charred components.

...

Tenchi slowly opened his eyes, but he was no longer on the ship. At first, he could not see anything, but when his eyes adjusted, he was surrounded by stars. Then ahead of him a silhouette started to form, and it quickly became familiar to him. It took the form of Tsunami, and she smiled warmly at him.

"Wait, what... why am I here?" he asked.

"I brought you here, because I needed to talk to you," Tsunami replied.

"I'm sorry but could we do this another time? My friends are in danger, and I really need to get back and help them."

"Yes, I am aware of the conflict onboard the ship," she said. "I also know of the dark presence within him." This caught Tenchi's attention.

"What do you know about this?" At this, her smile faltered slightly.

"Not very much I'm afraid. All I can say is that it does not belong in your plain of existence. I do not know where it came from, but it appears to be using people as a conduit to enter this reality."

"But why is it here? What reason would it have for coming here?" Tenchi asked.

Tsunami just shook her head. "I'm afraid I do not know. However there is something I should tell you."

"What is it?"

She motioned closer and told him, "When you engage in battle with Sypher, I there is something that I need you to do. It is important that you trust me, for this is the only way that I know of to defeat him."

His expression was of mild uncertainty, but then it changed to determination. "Okay, I'm listening."

...

Again, Tenchi opened his eyes, but this time to find Mihoshi's kneeling over him with a gentle, worried expression etched on her face.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said, sounding relieved. Tenchi sat up and saw that he was back aboard the ship. Just then, he looked up to find Washu and Yosho struggling to fight off Sypher in their continued fight. They appeared to be holding their own, but at the same time, were making no measurable progress. He could tell that they were barely breaking even.

Tenchi slowly got to his feet, and called out, "Sypher!" He noticed this and turned around, and Washu and Yosho did the same. "You're here because of me; fight me instead. Leave them out of it."

"Tenchi..." said Washu.

"Don't worry, Washu, I know what I'm doing."

"So, you're finally up," Sypher said. "I was wondering when you would come out of your little nap."

"Tenchi, be careful!" called out Ryoko with a strain. He glanced over at her with concern, and back to his opponent, his look of determination returning.

"This is where it ends," he declared. "I am going to put an end to what you have been doing."

"Oh, really now? The last time I fought you, I beat you in less than a minute. What makes you think you can defeat me?" he mocked. "I should also point out that with the death of my two lieutenants, I have received the power that they had... as well as the energy I've drained from her over there."

At those words, Tenchi seemed to waver slightly. His gaze shifted, and he spotted his sword imbedded in the nearby wall. He made for it with a brisk walk, and his opponent frowned.

"Where do you think you're going?" he called out. Sypher started to summon a shadowy ball of energy in his hand. Tenchi glanced over his shoulder, and increased to a dash. He grabbed and pulled at the wooden hilt and tried to withdraw the energy blade from the wall. As he struggled, Sypher continue to charge his attack, and then he fired. The sword finally pulled free, and Tenchi swung the sword just in time to deflect the blast, which impacted the wall, rendering it scorched and ruined.

Sypher ran in, jumped and swung his leg, but Tenchi dived out of the way before he brought it down. Tenchi countered by swinging his sword in a broad horizontal stroke, and his opponent's upper body arched back sharply and dodged, then quickly threw a leg sweep taking Tenchi's feet from under him.

The general loomed over him and brought a heavy fist down, and Tenchi rolled off to the side, and it impacted the ground, leaving a small patch of floor cracked and broken. Tenchi got to his feet, and he cried out as he advanced, sword swinging. Sypher continued dodging, but he was struck with a glancing blow to his arm. He growled in pain, and in anger he charged Tenchi with his shoulder, knocking him back a few meters, and making him roll and tumble before coming to a stop.

Frustration started to show in Sypher's face as his right hand clutched to his left arm. Seeing this, Tenchi started to feel unnerved. But then his attention shifted to Ryoko, as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

"Ryoko!" Washu called out, and both she and Yosho ran up to her.

"Hold it!" Sypher called after them. "I don't think you'll want to go near that." Nonetheless, Washu edged closer and slowly reached out to Ryoko, but suddenly the dark energy – which seemed to have taken the form of a tangible web – started to shift. Before the red-haired girl could react, a part of it leapt and wrapped itself around her, and she became another prisoner within its grasp. With a start, Yosho took a quick step back.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Sypher remarked, with feigned exasperation.

Tenchi grimaced, helplessness starting to take hold, and he felt a twinge in his heart when Sypher returned his gaze to him. Up ahead of him, his opponent was charging another mass of shadowy energy.

As he summoned the energy in both hands, he said, "I just want to say that I will remember this. You and your friends put up a valiant struggle, but all things must come to an end." At that, he launched it, and as Tenchi watched it approach, it was as if time had slowed down. Is this really the end, he thought to himself, and the sword fell out of his hand. No, it can't end this way! His eyes shut tight.

When Sypher launched the mass of energy, it flew and it exploded. But when the smoke had dissipated enough, Tenchi was still standing, and something had stopped it from reaching him. Just then three large white glowing shapes shone where the energy had been stopped. He looked at it in awe and amazement. "The Light Hawk Wings," he whispered. Everyone else's gaze was locked onto this sight, and felt hope return anew.

Tenchi held out his arms in front of him, and two of the large glowing shaped passed into him, transforming his clothes into a Juraian style outfit in pale blue, purple and white. The remaining one hovered in front of him which he grabbed at the base, and it transformed into a large sword. The General's expressions changed into a grin.

"Ah, so the fight isn't quite over yet. Let's see what you've got." Sypher summoned more energy and fired a volley. As they approached, Tenchi swung his new sword and it sliced through the shadowy orbs, causing them to break apart and dissolve, like a heavy mist. Sypher leapt forward with a battle cry, with his fists shrouded in shadow. Tenchi's sword glowed and was replaced with a shield, braced against his forearm. He held up the shield and blocked a flurry of heavy punches. The general paused as he summoned more energy. The shadowy webs surrounding Washu and Ryoko faded and disappeared, as it returned to being part of him.

With renewed strength, Sypher continued his onslaught and leapt in with a flying kick. Tenchi dodged out of the way, and he blocked further kicks and punches. Before he knew it, his opponent had gotten really close. All of a sudden, Sypher knocked Tenchi's shield arm to the side, and thrust his hand against chest.

"Hah, I've got you!" the general declared. The others looked with serious concern. Tenchi grimaced as he once again felt the life slowly draining from him, only this time it didn't stop. "So my suspicion was correct. Whatever that stopped me before is no longer there, now that your abilities have been unlocked." He let out a menacing laugh, as he continued to absorb huge amounts of power. Tenchi then started to feel light-headed and his legs gave way. His adversary stood over him, basking in the rush of new power flowing through him.

He looked at his hands. "This feeling... such incredible power!" he cried out, as his very hope had just come true. Or so he thought. Just then, his expression started to show unease. "What is this? Something is not right." The feeling steadily got worse, and he started to grimace and groan, and he yelled, "What have you done to me?"

His arms spread out to the sides, and he cringed as the shadowy aura around him started to stir. The dark mist started to dissipate, and then a white light started to shine underneath. Now everyone was watching intently as Sypher cried out, and a piercing light seemed to boil away the shadows. When the purple aura had disappeared completely, the bright glow also faded, and Sypher collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Tenchi slowly got to his feet and walked over his now unconscious adversary. Washu was speechless. "I don't know what you just did, but I think you got him."

Ryoko was standing, but she was still weak and uneasy on her feet. She slowly muddled her way towards Tenchi, increasing to a fast but unsteady walk and threw her arms around him. She gripped him tightly, and they were close to losing balance, and she said, "Tenchi, I was so worried!" Sadness and guilt came across her face. "If it wasn't for me spending the whole time playing that stupid game, maybe I could've stopped him from taking you."

He just smiled at her. "Don't worry yourself about it."

Yosho took a few steps towards him. "May I ask what that you just did there?"

Washu added, "Yeah, I've seen a lot of crazy stuff in my life, but that was certainly something."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure it would work," Tenchi replied, sounding a little embarrassed, and Ryoko still hanging on at his side.

"Not sure what would work?" Yosho asked.

"You see, while I was out Tsunami had something to tell me. She told me that when my power was released, that I allow him to use that life sucking thing again. Every time he absorbed energy, it required time to change it. But when all that energy from the Light Hawk Wings flooded into him, it overwhelmed the dark energy, and purged it from him." He looked down at Sypher's body; limp but still breathing. "I wonder what they'll do with him... and the rest of them," he thought aloud.

Mihoshi came forward and said, "With all the criminal acts they have committed, the Galaxy Police will have to take them into custody and put them on trial." She stopped, and looked contemplative. "On the other hand, it seems that a lot of their actions were being influenced by an outside force, so they might be willing to show leniency."

"Then again," Washu added, "it might be difficult to determine how much of it was influenced by this energy. Maybe they were totally under its control, or maybe it just helped them with the goals they already had."

"That's a good point. They will want to question everyone here, and that might help things."

They were contacted by the Captain and the others on the command deck, and with the help of the crew still in the detainment area, they had rounded up the remaining faction soldiers. With that sorted, the crew started repairs as they waited for assistance to arrive.

...

Not far from the green expanse of the nebula, Ayeka's ship Ryu-oh exited to normal space. The princess stood and looked at the ominous mass in front of her. She had no idea what she was getting into.

"Try to scan inside, can you detect anything?" she said.

"I'm sorry Princess," replied one of the small sentinels, "but there is far too much interference to get a reading."

Then right in front of her, she saw a glowing figure appear. At first Ayeka was startled, but the glowing faded, and it was Tsunami.

"Greetings again, Ayeka," she said in a warm welcoming tone.

"Do you know what's happening?" asked the Princess, "did you come here to help us?" Tsunami just smiled at her.

"There is no need to worry, everything is fine now." At this, Ayeka let out a sigh of relief, but then a hint of disappointment and concern.

"It also means I didn't get here in time to help," she said with her eyes slightly downcast.

"Don't think of it like that," Tsunami insisted. "You outsmarted Sypher's agents on Jurai, and defeated one of his main Lieutenants. You have already done more than anyone could have asked of you." This seemed to get through as a faint smile returned to Ayeka's face. "So long Ayeka." At that, the form of Tsunami faded.

Just moments later, she was informed of a sensor reading from within the cloud. As it got closer, it was identified as Mihoshi's ship.

A holographic screen with Washu's face appeared. "Ah so you finally decided to show up. I was on my way to get help with sorting things out. Come and follow me back in, I'm sure your ship will be of some use."

"Emm, Washu," the Princess started. "May I ask what happened over there? What did I miss?"

"It's a long story, but it'll take a short while to get back, so I'll head on over and tell you on the way." Washu then closed the channel. Before they re-entered the nebula, Mihoshi transmitted a message for the attention of any nearby Galaxy Police ships.

When they got to the drifting battleship, she brought Tenchi, Ryoko and Yosho onboard. Captain Braxton requested permission to come aboard the Yagami, knowing they would eventually be returning to Earth. Also aboard Mihoshi's ship, they held Sypher at the back in restraints.

The Captain headed through to the back room to see Sypher sitting, with his hands and feet cuffed. He wanted to be face-to-face with the person who led this whole thing. Sitting down, Sypher had barely regained consciousness, and was still weak. He gazed down at the floor, and Braxton was sure he saw sorrow and resignation on his face.

"So you're the one who captured my ship," he said, but Sypher remained silent. He wanted to be angry at the person before him, but they way he looked, along with the story that the others had told him, he didn't have the heart to.

Just then the Captain breathed out a faint chuckle and said, "Funny thing is a part of me almost wants to thank you." This got the former general's attention, and he turned towards him, with a hint of confusion filtering into his expression.

"Truth is, after all that's happened I started to realise what was important to me. I want to go back to Earth with my family. I don't like having them worry about me, while I'm away doing things I can't even talk to them about." Braxton then pulled a small photograph from a concealed pocket. He showed it to Sypher, but when he saw the red-haired girl in the picture, and his eyes widened slightly, and he said, "I recognise that girl."

"Wait, how is that?" the Captain suddenly felt anxious at the implication.

"I saw her when I was on Earth, she was with the boy." Just then a smile partially formed on his face. "You're welcome, by the way."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, I waited for Tenchi to be alone before I confronted him. However, if the dark presence had its way, I would have killed her along with any other witnesses," Sypher explained. "In fact, if it wasn't for me, your whole crew would've been dumped on a random planet... or chucked out the nearest airlock."

"Considering what happened," the captain started, "you sure-as-hell aren't a saint, but I don't think you're an evil person either. You clearly deserve to be punished... but only for the actions *you* committed." At that, he walked out and left Sypher to his quiet contemplation.

...

Sometime later, Sypher was transported aboard another GP ship and taken away. Ryu-oh and the Yagami continued on their way and eventually returned to Earth. Tenchi decided to head back to LA with Braxton. It was late evening, and the sky was getting dark with a warm hue on the horizon. They were now walking along a quiet and familiar street. Just then, he realised that he didn't want to interfere with this reunion.

Tenchi stood by a nearby tree as Braxton approached the door and chapped. The door opened and it was Sam, the quiet girl whose company Tenchi enjoyed last time he was here. For a moment she seemed to freeze, as if she saw a ghost.

"Dad... is that you?" she let out, not quite able to process it. "I thought you were away on some long assignment."

"Yes Sam I was, but things came up and I got to go home early," he said with a smile. She smiled back at him, but suddenly it faltered and she averted her gaze.

"So, how long before you have to go away again?" In response, his smile only grew brighter.

"Well, that's the thing. I convinced them to accept my resignation, so I won't be running off on assignment anymore," he explained.

"Really? And is that what you really want?" asked Sam, her blue eyes gazing into his.

"Of course it is, sweetheart. You mean the world to me, and I never liked having to leave you and your mother all those times." The girl's eyes started to well up, and she let out a sniff. Then suddenly she threw her armed around her father.

"I love you dad," she said between quiet sobs.

"I love you too, Sammy," Braxton replied, his voice hitching slightly. He then comforted her by gently stroking the back of her head.

Tenchi, standing out of sight a number of meters away, smiled at the scene he was witnessing, and felt a tear in his eye. When Sam and her father went inside, he stood in the silence for a moment longer. He then remembered the hotel room he had booked, and the things he had left there. He turned and headed back along the road.

...

Morning came at the Masaki residence, and everything was finally getting back to normal. The house was lively again, more notably with the exchanges and bickering between Ryoko and Ayeka. For Tenchi, it was not the quiet and ordinary life (which he occasionally missed), but it was the life he was given, and he was happy with it.

Ryoko was no longer playing her game nearly as much, and she said it was evil in the way it drags you in, and always leaving you wanting to get one more level, or dangle some coveted item for you to strive for.

Tenchi stood just outside the house, and leaned against a wooden railing with his forearms, and gazed up at the sky. I wonder what Sam is doing right now, he thought to himself. He then smiled at the image of her seeing her father again.

While he thought about the previous days' events, he heard the glass screen door slide open behind him. He turned to see Sasami stepping out.

"Oh, hi Sasami," he said.

"Tenchi, I was thinking," the girl started, "did you mean it when you said you would come with us to Jurai?"

He put on a smile and said, "Yeah, of course I did. Why do you ask?"

"Well, when Ayeka and I were on Jurai, I was kinda sad to leave so soon," she explained. "I was thinking of planning a trip to go back there. We could bring everyone along, and we could stay as long as we want."

"Sure Sasami, that sounds like it would be fun," Tenchi replied. The blue-haired girl smiled brightly and turned back to the door.

"I'll go ask the others and see what they think," she said as she made her way through the screen door, and back into the house.

Tenchi smiled, and then looked to the sky and wondered. What new adventures lay in store for them, he thought. A part of him was anxious at the thought of more crises developing, but at the same time he was a little excited, and eager to face whatever came their way.

...

**Author's Notes:** Well that's my story. When I write stories, it tends to start slow as I gradually build things up, so I hope there was enough interesting things going on to stop you from getting bored. But overall, I'm reasonably pleased with how the story turned out. That said, I'm interested to see what other people think of it... so feel free to let me know what you thought.


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